Zisk Issue # 4

Through the Cracks: Tales Off the Beaten Path

by Steve Reynolds

Ex-Phillie/Devil Ray and Angels shortstop Kevin Stocker retired on March 5th—due perhaps to a travel hell that would drive most people to an insane level of road rage. Stocker agreed to a minor league contract with the Mets on Saturday, March 3rd. He booked himself a flight to Florida from his home state of Washington. That flight was canceled. The next day his flight to West Palm Beach was diverted to Orlando. Then the limo driver the Mets sent for him missed the pickup, and Stocker had to hire another driver to take him to camp. This apparently was the straw that broke the camel’s back—Stocker called his agent at 1:30 in the morning and said he was going to retire. "I don't think we've ever had a guy who retired this quickly," said Jim Duquette, a Mets senior assistant general manager. "I talked to his agent, who said Kevin doesn't have the fire and desire to get into shape to play at this level." He obviously doesn’t have the desire to travel ever again.

Mike Piazza is in commercials for Claritin and 10-10-220—so the next step, logically, must be a big Hollywood film. Except Piazza is the subject of this film. Go to Hell, Mike Piazza will likely star Ben Stiller as a hot dog vendor whose childhood friendship with Piazza has left him with a persecution complex—one that has him blaming the famed Met catcher for all that's gone awry with his life. The hot dog man becomes obsessed with plotting out his revenge and when he gets a chance to strike out Piazza in the All Star Game by winning a TV quiz show, his chance is made real. Go to Hell, Mike Piazza will likely go in front of cameras after the baseball season ends, which should be early this year for the Mets.

The Detroit Tigers’ Comerica Park was intended to replace the aging Tigers Stadium with a place that would be packed night after night. Unfortunately for the Tigers and the Seattle Mariners last August 23rd, the stadium was packed—with flying ants. Tens of thousands of these insects descended on the ballpark during the first inning, staying long enough to catch a couple of innings (and maybe a couple of hot dogs). Most of the crowd of over 32-thousand fans had left due to the tenacious bugs by the time the third inning had rolled around. The Detroit bullpen took matters in their own hands, by lighting a fire that helped to drive the ants away. "When you looked up, it was a swarm across the sky," said Ron LeCroix of Detroit. "The birds were eating so good, they were falling on the sidewalk. They couldn’t even fly away they were eating so much. I’ve never seen anything like that." Fans who left didn’t get refunds—"[It] was just kind of an act of God," said Tigers spokesman Jim Anderson. "We’re treating it like a rain delay. Fans may get up from their seats and leave, but this is no different from that situation." And now we know the real reason why Juan Gonzalez didn’t want to sign a deal with the Tigers.

Ex-Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver was the honoree at a roast November 2nd at the Sports Boosters of Maryland Headliners Banquet. For almost three hours Weaver was teased by his former players and friends from baseball, occasionally making a snide remark when he thought a story was going on too long. Then to wrap up the evening Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer stepped up to give the last speech. He joked about Weaver’s height and reputation for drinking. This didn’t set to well with Weaver when he went up to the podium to give his own speech. He yelled that Palmer cost the Orioles a lot of games by claiming injuries he didn’t have. Weaver then went around podium and confronted Palmer directly, screaming at him before being led away by former Oriole Lee May. Jay Harris, the executive booster of the sports boosters, told the Baltimore Sun, "It was unbelievable. A lot of people stayed because they wanted to hear his retaliation, but this wasn’t what they wanted."

The Las Vegas Stars have changed their affiliation from the San Diego Padres to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and now they’ve changed their name. Looking for a way to stick out in the city that Bugsy built, the new team owners picked the 51’s as the name—as in Area 51, the top secret test site in the Nevada desert that supposedly holds a UFO and even aliens. "We figure if we get a cease-and-desist order from the government we’ll really make news," said Aaron Artman, creative director for the Triple A team. "But they can’t send it if they don’t admit Area 51 exists." Which, as all X-Files fans know, the government won’t admit. So look for some special out of this world promotions this season in Vegas. "You may be a purist, but your 5-year-old-son might like the alien mascot and your 12-year-old might like the music we’re playing," said Artman. "This theme gives us a lot of options. Maybe a space ship in the outfield. Or crop circles."

METROPOLITAN, STRAIGHT UP
by John Ross Bowie

The thing about Mets fans, my friend Rob is quick to point out, is that they’re not always sports fans. He’s onto something—I love the Mets, and I was really one of those kinda anti-sports kids. Partly out of an aversion to the machismo and violence inherent in high school athletics, but largely due to a vast lack of coordination on my part (it was like I didn’t know where my arms ended). And I’m not a baseball historian—that’s me in the orange seats asking questions like “Where are the Cardinals from? What does RBI stand for? Since when is Coors Light so expensive?”

But The Mets—that’s something different. I was born in Queens. Me and hip-hop and the Mets. I spent the first three years of my life in Rego Park. Now I live in Astoria, not too far from that Greek place on 34th and Broadway. I know, I know, which Greek place? There’s a also a good Greek place on 31st, under the N train before you get to the Dunkin Donuts on the Boulevard . . . See? You don’t care. That’s my point. Nobody cares about Queens. It has neither the glitz of Manhattan nor the bohemian mystique of Brooklyn (I’ll get to the Bronx in a moment, and I will not waste our time with Staten Island). Queens just is. Queens is your cousin who you don’t have a lot in common with but he’s laid back and totally unpretentious and knows where to get a great souvlaki at 3 AM. And the Mets play in Queens. Out near Flushing Meadows Park, which is where my parents met at the ’64 Worlds Fair. 2 years after the Mets franchise started. The Mets have lasted longer than my parents relationship.

Geography plays a big part – ever live in New York City and then visit some place else? People treat you like you’re either a foreign dignitary or a retard. But the key thing is that you are special, you are from New York City. Not America. However, you’ll notice that most of New York City is an archipelago, and the Bronx (where the Yankees play) is part of the mainland. And might as well be in Nebraska for all I fucking care.

The Yankees are repugnant. I was an English major, I’m a working actor now, and the Yankees make for lousy drama. 25 World Series? 3 in the past 4 years? That’s boring. That’s like a shitty movie where you can guess the outcome by the first plot point. The Yankees date Mariah Carey. The Yankees are very clearly the bad guys, the Goliath, the Grendel without the sympathy vote.

The Mets were, for a period of time during their fascinating 90’s, the only team in Major League Baseball with two Japanese starting pitchers. They currently employ two players from the Dominican Republic and one from Venezuela (Edgardo Alfonzo, who my research tells me, leads the National League in second basing.) They've got the boars tooth toting Turk Wendell. They’ve got the sheer batting ferocity of Benny Agbayani, whose name is Benny Agbayani. They’ve got the wisdom of John Franco who’s actually from New York City!!! And even still lives here!!! They still sort of have Rey Ordonez, a Cuban Refugee who missed most of this season because he fractured something called an ‘ulna’!!! They’ve got Jay Payton, who took a fastball to the head in game 5 against St. Louis and charged the mound, because only a pussy stops to see if he’s really hurt!!! They’ve got Timo Perez, who’s so new his name doesn’t even have a hotlink on the Mets website!!! I’ve done my homework!!! And a few years ago they made baseball and mental health history by putting Pete Harnisch on the Disabled List for DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY!!! How can you not love this team?

The Mets are not my team because they (finger quotes) “win a lot of games” The Mets are my team because they have drama, pathos, diversity and Mike Piazza. And no matter what happens this week in Queens or on the mainland, the Mets have me.

JOSE VALENTIN'S MOUSTACHE
By Jake Austen

Sports fans in cities around the country get excited over different things, be it Big Mac home

runs, Shaquille's dunks or Tiger Woods' dockers. To me nothing had been more exciting sportwise in years than the 2000 season of the Chicago White Sox...and not because they had the best record in baseball for most of the season. Rather it was because of something that was right under someone’s nose all season, but it took me a while to notice it.
As I do each season, I was obsessively following every Sox game in 2000, but a number of factors have made it difficult to get super into the team for quite some time. Of course there is the fact that the strike was for the most part our owner’s fault, and there is also the awful new stadium that replaced the then oldest park in the world. But really it was more the bad personnel moves that made it hard to totally dig the team. Since firing Jeff Torborg (whose son became a pro wrestler who wore KISS makeup as his gimmick) they had gone through a series of mangers who were either schlumps or assholes, and that made it hard to believe the team was headed for greatness.

More importantly, the free agent situation was pretty ugly. Personally I have nothing against Albert Belle’s personality or performance, I like the dude. But the problem is that Frank Thomas (persona wise, stats not a factor here) is dull and not particularly pleasant, so adding Belle to Thomas is just redundant from an entertainment standpoint. They also signed Jaime Navarro who was a dick and was also one of the worst pitchers I’d ever seen. Meanwhile Robin Ventura who always showed heart and Ozzie Guillen who was incredible to watch as he’d fuck around with the runners on base, attempt decoy plays all the time and generally exude personality were both canned.

But things looked better the last coupla years. The new manager had a lot of dignity and seemed to have a chance to guide kids to success and the team was stocked with super young farm products. So I was digging the 2000 Sox but there was still some lingering ambivalence from the years of unpleasantness that proceeded it. I was having a hard time making a true visceral connection with the team. Then it happened. I was visiting New York and had just seen Sebastian Bach’s triumphant Broadway turn in Jeckyl and Hyde. As I walked into Times Square I expected to find the Sox score easily accessible as they were playing the Yankees. Sure enough, it was scrolling on the ESPN Zone electronic marquee and it was a close game. We took a subway to where we were staying and the game was still going on. I was excited, but as I said, not entranced in the way I had been in my younger days. Then I noticed it.

Our new shortstop Jose Valentin was having a good year, he’d already hit for the cycle, so I liked him but didn’t feel a connection. Then, perhaps because whoever directs the Yankees broadcasts has a different philosophy than the Chicago TV crew, I noticed something I hadn’t before. Jose Valentin has the most incredible "manly" Latin lover moustache I’d ever seen. It alternates between looking like something off a Village People album (more so when he wears his batting helmet; he's the construction worker during leisure time!) and looking like it's made of the same thing the black lines he paints under his eyes are. Take me OUT to the ballgame indeed! That fucking thing was a marvel of human achievement! All of a sudden I was connected again with the team in a way I hadn’t been since the early 90s. I can’t really explain it, but that jet black something-or-another that hovers above his lip was so absurd in a fun way that it somehow brought back the pure joy I used to feel while pretending this baseball was important.

My pre-strike, pre-ugly new stadia, pre zillion dollar contract love of the game WAS BACK!
That road trip became a milestone of the season, as they swept the Yankees and some other teams and never looked back on their way to a division title. But to me it was even more important. The 2000 team became one of my all time favorites, because every member of this super young group of guys seemed great to me in their own way. Unlike previous seasons where I’d really had favorite players, that year the entire team was my favorite, with no real individual standout. But I owe the perspective to enjoy it the way I did to one man…or rather, to one man’s patch of facial hair.

Thank you Jose Valentin’s moustache.

A Look at the NL—Can Barry Bonds Be Stopped?
By Steve Reynolds

The Phillies are in first place.

Okay, take a deep breath and let that sentence sink in.

In fact, maybe you should sit down before you faint.

Yes friends, as of May 31st, 2001, the Phillies have the best record in the senior circuit, and lead the Braves—yes, the ATLANTA BRAVES—by six and a half games. The Phillies lead the NL Champion Mets by 12 games. Perhaps the apocalypse is upon us. Can anyone remember the last time the Phils led their division by this much? (Okay, its 1993, I looked it up.) Why are the perennial underachievers winning this year? Could new manager Larry Bowa be this much of a factor? To quote the magic eight ball, all signs point to yes. Bowa was a scrapper (and a dick) as a player, and these Phils seem to have taken on his personality, always finding a way to win. The Curt Shilling trade, which looked like one of the best steals in recent memory, has evened out. Schilling is thriving in Arizona, while Omar Daal has returned to his 1999 Arizona 16-game winner form.

So how does this sudden turnaround bode for the rest of this season? Let’s grab the magic eight ball and look.

NL East: Phillies
Why would I believe in this team to win the division? Because it seems the Braves and the Mets have reached the inevitable decline that playoff-bound teams must endure. The Braves decline is traced to one factor—they’re now officially owned by AOL, which cancels out Ted Turner’s magic tomahawk voodoo. The Mets just seem to have gotten really old really fast. Sure Mike Piazza will end up with his 35 home runs and 100 RBI by the end of the season, but Todd Zeile and Edgardo Alfonzo seem to playing with sandbags around their legs. (And the words Steve Trachsel make me fly off the handle. The biggest loser in the big leagues gets sent to the minors, and pitches a seven inning no hitter. And this jackass has the balls to say he was keeping the game ball because, “I don’t care what level you’re at, it’s still something a lot of guys haven’t done.” Well Steve, if it had been a nine-inning game, I bet you would have given up a couple of home runs before it was over.) Only Rick Reed and Tsuyoshi Shinjo are playing at a high level. I admit, I hope I am very, very wrong and that the Mets turn it around and blow past the Phillies and Braves, but it’s a difficult task when a third of the season has gone by and you’re nine games under .500. As for the Expos, they only play well against the Mets, but only 17 wins in a season will get you so far. (And got Felipe Alou fired.)

The hard luck guy of the year is ex-Marlins manager John Boles. Saddled with expectations for the season that were just way too high for the kids he had on the team, Boles got burned after Dan “I have a right to complain even though I’m 0 and 5” Miceli ripped the coaching staff. “They don't make the right moves in the right situations. From the pitching coach to the manager to the assistant manager,” Miceli said. He added, “There are grown men in this locker room who have worked their whole lives to get to the big leagues, and they're not getting the right type of instruction from the staff. Stupid moves.” We don’t count Miceli as one of the grown men.

NL Central: Cardinals, Cubs (wildcard)
Again, I am jumping out on a limb by saying the Cubs will go this far. But I just have the gut feeling that the Cubs are going to make the post-season again. Don Baylor is not a loser, and the team made some nice pick-ups during the off season to fill gaps. The pitching seems to have solidified, and the team isn’t relying on Sammy Sosa to hit a home run every game. The Cards have won without Mark McGwire so far this year, so his return should give the team an emotional and power lift to easily take this division. The Astros and Pittsburgh have their new ballparks, but don’t have the talent this year to stay above the .500 mark. And the Reds are just awful, even worse than the Mets this year, which is saying a lot. All the “homecoming” money they poured into Ken Griffey Jr. has got them nothing but a mediocre club, even when a third of the roster wasn’t on the DL.

NL West: Giants
To quote ESPN’s Dan Patrick, Barry Bonds is “en fuego.” 28 home runs in 53 games is a pace that he probably won’t keep up, but won’t it be fun to watch him try? Jeff Kent won the MVP last year when the Giants won their division—this year Bonds will win his fourth MVP when the Giants repeat.

My favorite quote about the Dodgers:
"If Karros was in a race with a pregnant girl, he'd finish third." —Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner after slow-footed Dodgers OF Eric Karros legged out a double in a game.

The Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Padres and Rockies have all been surprises this year—because all of them are winning. This could be the most exciting divisional race in years. But in the end, the Giants should outclass this division pretty easily.

NL Champion:
The Cards and Giants both have the talent to go to the series, but I’ll go with the Cards due to their solid pitching depth. In either case, they’ll lose to this year’s juggernaut, the Mariners.

Ka-Ching: The Evolution of a Game

by Kip Yates

It’s that time of year again. The Holiday season! Shopping for bargains! Fighting the crowds! Songs of joy in the air! Of course I am referring to the off season of baseball, otherwise known as free agent season. This is the time of year when all the owners without deep pockets search for that $3 million dollar relief pitching bargain or utility infielder. This is the time of year that the owners and general managers convene at their winter meetings to play a little hard ball of their own. They nudge and cajole each other until they get what they want or they go home. Those who succeed in December will prepare for a breakout season. Much like Tampa Bay did last year! But this is also the worst season of the year from a baseball fan’s perspective. One can witness the inherent greed that lies hidden during the summer months and I’m not referring to all the annoying Holiday commercials that inundate us each festive season. I’m talking about the about face regarding allegiances to the home team. All summer we hear that a player “only want to do what it takes to bring the fine city of (insert city name here) a much deserved championship.” When the off-season rolls around, we hear a much different tune.

I cannot even pick up the newspapers without getting a little queasy at what I am reading. Endless trade talks! Endless free agent talks! The never-ending chatter of the cable news stations droning on about which team will sign the overpriced flavor of the year. Tiring, old, speculation! I am not excited about the off season, nor am I particularly looking forward to the coming baseball season. Of course I feel this way every off season, but I don’t feel myself counting the days until the pitchers and catchers report for camp. I can wait like everyone else. Living in New York, I hear plenty of news and gossip on the streets and at work, about what the Yanks and the Mets are going do. (I even hear the occasional news about one of the other 28 teams.) This autumn, the Mets pulled out the Alex Rodriguez (or as he is affectionately known, A-Rod) sweepstakes. Who is this guy anyway and why does he deserve to be the first $200 million dollar man? Are any teams going to have the fiscal insight to know that this guy and those guys outta Cleveland, and Detroit, and Baltimore are not worth the money they are asking for? Nobody is worth Albert Belle and Kevin Brown money. Albert Belle and Kevin Brown are not even worth Albert Belle and Kevin Brown money. Some teams are going to bow to all of their demands. Some of them won't budge.

A-Rod wants harem girls to feed him grapes, according to Mets GM, Steve Phillips. Manny Ramirez wants the same kind of love that is shown to King Alex. Juan Gonzalez wants Detroit’s Comerica Park’s fences moved in before he’ll even talk. Mike Mussina wants to get away from Peter Angelos (who could blame him) and play for a winner. He also wants $12 to $15 million a year. This guy is good, perhaps he’s had some rough luck, but he’s not worth the ludicrous amount of money that he is asking for. I am absolutely flabbergasted at the numbers I hear being bounced about every day on the sports talk shows and read about in the newspapers. Something has got to give. Parity in Major League Baseball is nonexistent. When the season opens, there are maybe 6-7 teams with a legitimate chance to win the whole enchilada. The other posers are only taking up valuable air. Some teams know they have absolutely no chance in Hades of competing with the other kids. Occasionally there are aberrations to the current trend of non-competition. Last year’s Oakland A’s and Chicago White Sox, the ’99 Reds, the ’98 Padres and the ’97 Astros were able to compete while spending very little. But fewer smaller market teams compete each year while teams owned or sponsored by mega buck media companies continue to control the market…er, I mean the game, and how it is played. Pittsburgh and Milwaukee think that all they have to do is build a new ballpark and the crowds and the money will follow. The sad fact is that the crowds and the money, to an extent, will come, but then the team has to put a winning product on the field or it is all for naught. If one owner isn’t willing to ante up and give these millionaires what they want, then another owner won’t even bat an eyelash at giving in to a star’s demands. And I fear that it is only going to get worse.

In 1980, Nolan Ryan was awarded the first million-dollar contract and thus Pandora’s box was opened. If you go further back, there is the landmark free agency decision involving Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally. I was too young to remember that case, but I do remember when Baltimore made Fred Lynn the first $3 million dollar player. It wasn’t long before Ryne Sandburg and Kirby Puckett signed their landmark contracts. Several years later, Belle signed the first $11 million dollar a year contract with the Chicago White Sox. Chicago also stipulated that Mr. Belle could take his corked bat to a team that could afford to pimp him if he decided that if they were no longer playa’s. A contract has become as valuable as empty promises. The weak armed Chuck Knoblauch left the Minnesota Twins for greener pastures in the winter of ’98. In 2000, Ken Griffey Jr. came “home” to the Cincinnati Reds. These guys left under the guise of a trade but it was their own demands that got the trade winds blowing in the first place. The Twins have never been the same. The jury is still out on the state of the Mariners. With A-Rod’s pending departure, it doesn’t look good. [Post Note: Crow has never tasted better]. The business of baseball makes me long for the good ol’ days before television contracts and fat cat bullies (agents) dictated market values. I am not alone. I have friends who are just as disenchanted with the state of baseball. We are not looking forward to another fruitless season, yet we hope that the game we all know and love can and will be remedied. First of all, it can. Secondly, it shall.

Both the owners and the players need to not only listen to each other’s wants and needs; but they need to listen to the fans as well. We are as much a lifeblood to the game as they are and the sooner that is realized, the better the state of the game will be. I want to see some changes, not in the game of baseball, but off the field, in the boardrooms where decisions are made. I want a comprehensive revenue sharing plan that will enable every team to compete. I also think that it is high time for an individual salary cap. I have seen what team salary caps have done to the National Football League and I wouldn't wish such confusion and chaos on Major League Baseball, but a line has to be drawn somewhere. I could go into the many specifics of how parity can be accomplished, but everyone has heard them before and it is not our job to iron out the details. It is the players and the owners that have the future of the game in their hands. This fall after the last of the confetti has fallen from the Championship parade; they will meet and take action. Let's hope that they have learned from past mistakes and set our game on a course that will allow it to thrive for years to come. Besides, it is a simple game really. It’s not about how many millions of dollars you are worth at present market value. It’s not about the fast cars and large yachts. It’s not about what has become the sports mantra, “Me, Me, Me.” It is not about television revenues, shoe contracts, or prime time commercialism. It’s about playing a child’s game to the best of your ability and loving every single passing moment.

Q. Why the Mets are SOOOOO bad in 2001!!!!
A. Two Words - the offseason
By Jeff Herz

5/2/2001

It is absolutely amazing to me that last October the Mets were in the World Series and did something that the previous three World Series participants could not do against the Yankees. Win. Remember the Yankees swept the Braves in ’99, the Padres in ’98, and took 4 straight from the Braves in ’96 after losing the first two games that year. The Yankees were able to win a record 14 straight World Series games before the Mets beat them in game 3 last years.
The Mets looked like a million dollars after that series. Although they lost the series, every game was close and played evenly, no blowouts, no lopsided scores, nothing but great baseball. The Mets had a great battery, a solid well rounded outfield, a good infield and got a late season spark from the unknown Timo Perez. This was their second straight year in the playoffs. Steve Phillips and Bobby Valentine were signed to long-term contracts just after the season ended, then something went terribly wrong.

During the off season the Mets send their heavy hitters into recruiting mode. Mike Piazza, Robin Ventura, Todd Zeile, Turk Wendell, Al Leiter, Mookie Wilson, Tom Seaver, Jerry Grote and Ed Kranepool worked the phones trying to lure every major free agent to Flushing that would improve their roster to help them get over the top and beat the Yankees. Nothing seemed to work.

Nobody wanted to sign with the Mets. A-Rod came to watch a game at Shea during the World Series and dissed the stadium and the fans. Before long the Mets pulled out of the A-Rod sweepstakes. Coincidence? I am not so sure, but neither here nor there for purposes of this discussion. The Mets tried to resign Mike Hampton, who said he would only sign with a championship caliber team, and the Mets couldn’t sign him. He signed with the Rockies, long known for killing pitchers ERA’s and making many a mediocre or above average hitter (Todd Helton, Dante Bichette) look great. He also said Denver is a place he could raise a family. Now by my count, I believe that Colorado has had more school massacres (Columbine) than New York, New Jersey or Connecticut has combined. So in my opinion, the greater NYC area is a much better place to raise a family, but that is just me.

On a side note, I never want to hear another athlete claim he wants to play for a winner then sign simply the highest offer made to him, it is hypocritical and alienates the fans. Both A-Rod and Hampton claimed it was not about the money, but rather about winning, then wound up signing with teams that were more crappy then the teams they left. I want athletes to just admit it is about the money or otherwise just shut the fuck up. I am sick of it.

The Mets then went after Mike Mussina, and lost out to their cross-town rival the Yankees. Legitimately Moose wanted to stay in the AL, therefore excluding the Mets. Next the Mets targeted the Yankees discarded pitcher Denny Neagle. He wound up signing with Rockies for similar reasons as Hampton, which is a load of shit since the Mets have consistently been better the last few years than the Rockies. The Mets also refused to negotiate with Bobby J Jones, since he was looking for a shit-load of millions and anyone who has ever watched him pitch knows he is not worth that kind of money. This was probably their best decision, since he is now stinking up the Padres rotation, for only a half million dollars or so. This left the Mets with two gaping holes in their once powerful rotation. They signed Kevin Appier, a career nobody from the Oakland Athletics, and Steve Trachsel and weak throwing right hander that could not stand out for either of the two weak pitching teams in Chicago or the non-existent franchise in Tampa Bay.

The only thing the Mets had going for them this off season was David Wells’s desire to play for the Mets, and that got quashed when the Jays dealt the over weight and gout prone Wells to the White Sox for a broken Mike Sirotka. Yet another strike against the Mets in the off season.

Now the Mets are languishing in last place, 4.5 games behind the Phillies. Now I know that this lead is not insurmountable this early in the season. However, I don’t know how the Mets are going to compete in this now rough and tumble division without a major blockbuster trade (Gary Sheffield? David Wells?). They are lacking depth in the outfield, the weak hitting Rey Ordonez is back from the disabled list and the rotation is no more than 3rd best in the NL East.
I have never been a huge Bobby Valentine fan. I am not one who thinks he is a baseball genius. But I think he got screwed by the front office for not signing these players or maybe it is a perception in baseball that the Mets are a second rate organization, that you just don’t want to play for. I honestly don’t understand this, but the reality is now the Mets are looking like Archie “Moonlight” Graham in Field of Dreams, a player who could get so close to his dream that he could touch it, but was never given the chance to see go the distance, which is the real shame for 2001 Mets.

A look at the AL competition:
Is the Yankees reign over, one month into the season?
By Jeff Herz

5/2/2001
As a Yankee fan, you always have to face the inevitable question, when will this current reign of division championships and world series wins eventually end. Will it be 2001? Well after watching the first month of the season, I am a bit concerned.

AL East, Red Sox and Blue Jays. Everyone talks about the Boston Red Sox with Pedro, Manny, Everett and the currently injured Nomar, but lets face it, they are the Red Sox, and although they have played very good for the first month, they are the same Red Sox who have not found a way to win the World Series since 1918, this is not going to be their year. No one is taking the Blue Jays seriously, and I think that is a mistake.

The Red Sox had controversy before they even left spring training. Carl Everett was missing buses and showing up late; Manny Ramirez was complaining about having to play left field (the easier position in Boston) instead of his more familiar right field even though playing right in Fenway is like playing center in another park, and Manny for as good as he is with the bat, he is no center fielder; Nomar was having wrist surgery to fix a split tendon in his wrist that would keep him out 2-3 months; finally they have no proven pitching behind Pedro. Joe Kerrigan, the pitching coach, has done a great job band-aiding a rotation together. However, Nomo is streaky and pitching a second no hitter, even against the Orioles is impressive, but I bet he hits the wall before the end of the year. Castillo, Paxton, and Ohka are either to old or too unproven. On the DL, they have Saberhagen, who has been injured since 1989, and David Cone proved last year that he is washed up. Conclusion: the Red Sox are one small spark (Everett in general, Nixon or O’Leary start complaining about playing time) away from imploding. While Jimy Williams will do his best to keep this team together, alas this will not the year of the Red Sox.

The Blue Jays, on the other hand, I am impressed with and a bit scared of. They have a potent lineup, which includes Delgado, Mondesi, Stewart, Cruz Jr, Gonzalez, and Fullmer. Round out the lineup with solid producers of Bautista, Bush and Fletcher, and I realize that this is a lineup that can hurt you in one way or another top to bottom. The pitching staff, is coming into its own with Loiza, Carpenter, Michalek, Hamilton and Escobar and one of the league's best closers in Billy Koch. Don’t let anyone fool you, this team is for real. The biggest problem with this team is going to be rookie manager and former broadcaster, Buck Martinez. Now I must admit I don’t understand this recent trend to hire broadcasters and put them in the booth, but if you look at the small sampling (Larry Dierker of the Astros) that have made this move and then look at their playoff records, I am not impressed. Broadcasters may understand the team, since they cover and report on the team everyday. But I don’t think that helps them when it comes to strategy that often needs to be employed in the playoffs and the World Series that you may not need in the AL during the regular season. However, Martinez has surrounded himself with very good baseball people, including Cito Gaston, the former Blue Jay manager who led Toronto to back-to-back World Series titles in 1991-1992. Conclusion: Blue Jays are a legitimate threat to win the division this year and with the schedules it is doubtful that the wild card team will come from the AL East, so they pose a definite threat to the Yankee dynasty.

AL Central, Twins, Indians, White Sox. Regardless of the outcome of the rest of the season, I am so happy that a small market team like the Twins can make such a large impact on the rest of baseball with the way they have played this first month. The Indians are always a concern, but their pitching will prove to be their Achilles heel down the stretch or in the playoffs. I am concerned about the inconsistent play of the White Sox (they are currently in last place behind the AAA Royals and Tigers) and am only mentioning them because of the unbalanced schedules almost assures that the wildcard will come from this division.

I really like the Twins, I am not sure how any baseball fan could not like them. They are a bunch of young kids, being managed by one of the best ever in Tom Kelly. They don’t know that they are supposed to lose like the rest of the teams with similar economic outlooks. They play hard, have fun, and get quality starts from their pitchers which in my opinion these should be the only factors that go into a successful team, but alas we know that is the not the case. They are lucky to play in the AL Central, but they have played the Red Sox and the Yankees straight up so far and have not buckled under those behemoths, which is a good sign for the Twin Cities, and might be bad news for the folks in Cleveland. I think if the Twins make the playoffs, they will be satisfied since no one picked them to be here. I think they have a legitimate shot of making the playoffs, if their pitching remains strong and they are able to keep some of their players (Mientkiewicz, Lawton, Hunter, Guzman, Radke, Milton, and Hawkins) off the DL and injury free. Conclusion: Twins will win the division, but will be like the Oakland A’s last year, not able to get out of the first round. Therefore they don’t pose a threat to the Yankees.

The Indians are a perennial thorn in the Yankees side, but they are getting older and don’t have as much gas left in their tank (depleted minor leagues, huge salaries, etc) to continue for much longer. If you go back to Zisk #1, I proclaimed the eventual demise of the Cleveland organization and it is started last year, with the White Sox winning the AL Central pennant last year and will continue this year with the Twins (even though I forecasted the Tigers rising to the top, well I was half right). That does not mean that they are not a dangerous team, which they continue to be. Juan Gone, Roberto (don’t spit in my face) Alomar, Lofton, Burks, Branyon, Fryman and Thome are still quality hitters and Vizquel is the best defensive SS in the AL. But as always pitching is a problem. Last year The Tribe went out and hired the Yankee Killer, Chuck Finley, but unfortunately he could not consistently kill any other team. Jarret Wright is still injured, as is Charles Nagy. Burba and Colon will get you some quality starts, but I would not want to base my playoff success (or failure in this case) on these chumps. The closer is Yankee and Brewer reject Bob Wickman, how sad. Conclusion: Indians will win the wildcard because they play in the weakest division and because of the experience of the team they should beat any team other than the Yankees in the divisional series, then they will lose to whomever they face in the ALCS.

I have included the White Sox in this analysis, since I believe they are better then their last place record currently indicates. They have kids with playoff experience (Ordonez, Singleton) and veterans that have been through the grind before (Alomar Jr, Clayton, Durham, Baines) and with David Wells, finally have a pitcher that lives for the big time and can have a calming effect on the rest of the young staff. However Wells may never get the chance since they have come out of the blocks stumbling badly. Conclusion: Long shot at wildcard, but since they play the Royals and Tigers a lot of times, and they should hope that the Twins stumble, however in the end not a threat to the Yankees.

AL West, Mariners. I just have to laugh at how mediocre the Rangers are since they spent ¼ of a BILLION (with a B) dollars on one player, and did not spend one dime to upgrade their pitching. Apparently, folks in Texas don’t learn from recent history, that pitching wins games when they count. I understand the economics of signing A-Rod, in that it puts fannies in the seats, but that won’t last if your team is not in contention. On the other hand, the Mariners have lost 3 studs in the last 3 years and have only gotten better. I credit Lou Pinella, who should still be managing the Yankees, with this success. The A’s are young and hungry, but getting killed by the new strike zone, and great expectations of last year.

The Mariners will win the AL West. They are the 1984 Tigers, jumping out to an almost insurmountable lead of 9 games in one month. They have hitting (Edgar, Ichiro, Olerud, Cameron, Boone), they have starting pitching (Garcia, Sele, Moyer, Tomko and Meche) they have relief pitching (Nelson, Paniagua, Rhodes, Charlton, and Sasaki), and serious playoff experience which they showed last year in the ALCS against the Yankees. Conclusion: Yankees better beware, especially after getting swept by these Mariners in Yankee Stadium already this year.

Predictions:
If the Yankees are able to outlast the Blue Jays and win the AL East, they will face the Mariners in the ALCS. The ALCS will go 7 games with the Mariners winning at Safeco Field since they will have home field advantage throughout the AL playoffs. They will be tired and worn after a 7 game series with the Yankees, but I see them prevailing in the World Series against any NL team.

If the Blue Jays win the East, then the Mariners will waltz into their first World Series with relative ease, beating the Indians in the ALCS and win the whole enchilada, embarrassing the NL team.