The Will To Rock Flushing

In my quest for a baseball cap, I have bumped into this cap all too often. My question is where the heck did this NY come from?  Don’t these things need to be approved by someone?  Obviously no one asked me because I don’t approve.  Jeff how could you let something like this just slip through the cracks???  All the other teams appear to be using correct logos on this style cap.  Was it just too difficult to use a REAL Mets logo despite the surplus of logos to choose from? 

Can I speak to a manager please?

Last week The Final Score introduced me to Pat Venditte a switch pitcher for the Staten Island Yankees.  This is intriguing to me but I think begs the question why hasn’t this been done before?  Long before Billy Wagner was was a professional ball player be was a right-handed pitcher.  He taught himself to throw left-handed only after breaking his throwing arm twice.  Just think what he could be doing now if he were able to pitch with both arms. 

The Cyclones / Yankees game was aired on SNY last night. Pat Venditte came in to pitch in the 9th inning.  With two outs and a five run deficit switch hitter Ralph Henriquez comes to the plate.  Pat has his glove in his left hand.  Ralph decides to bat right-handed.  Pat switches his glove.  Ralph moves to the opposite box.  This went on a couple more times.  Yelling ensued.  Managers out of the dugouts.  More yelling.  Obviously no one knows what is supposed to happen in this situation.  There’s likely nothing in the rule book about this.  This could have gone on forever.  Thankfully Ralph appeared to be fed up with all the nonsense and decided to hit right-handed and ended the game with a strike out. 

It’ll be interesting to see what the rule book eventually says about this.  Should the advantage go to the switch hitter who has always had the advantage in the past?  Or will it go to the pitcher who has the advantage over all the other non-ambidextrous hitters?  I’m leaning towards the offense on this one.

UPDATED: To add video below.
[ thanks to hot foot blog ]

Despite all the changes that have happened in Metsland, some things never change.  I’m still buying tickets.  I just purchased tickets to Stitch n’ Pitch.

I went to this last year and it was a horrible and fabulous experience all in one.  That morning NYC had torrential downpours that took out much of the Subway system.  By midafternoon the skies were clear and subways were back in action (or so I heard).  I planned to meet my friend Adelle at Gate D at 6pm.  Apparently the news reports that I heard claiming the subways were back to normal was incorrect.  Adelle didn’t get there until 8pm.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to be standing outside of Shea and hearing all sorts of commotion going on inside?  Thankfully I had my mom calling me whenever something was happening.

We finally got to our seats.  I didn’t really know what to expect.  What I saw were three sections in the upper deck filled with people doing their needle crafts.  (I was not one of them.  I had a ballgame to watch.) All wearing their craft on their heads, around their neck and in one case from head to toe!  Normally I would think that this was awesome but instead I was just thinking these people could all be certifiably insane. It was about 200° outside that day.  The humidity was unbearable. Not exactly the time you want to be putting on a knit hat and scarf. 

Last night I turned the game off after the first inning.  There’s no way we were going to win that game.  I was done with listening to all the Willie nonsense and the Daily Show was almost on.  And then the Willie talk started all over again…

[Comedy Central]

..at least we can laugh about it.  Sorta.

Other than the day Willie Randolph got fired?  It’s opening night at Keyspan Park where the Brooklyn Cyclones will be taking on the Staten Island Yankees.  I haven’t been this happy about baseball since well… the 2008 MLB season started.  Even then I’m not sure I was *this* happy.  It was so long ago (to a Mets fan) who can remember?

So, why am I so happy about a single-a short season team beginning their season?  That’s simple. It means going to the ballpark and enjoying the game for what it is.  No strings attached.  No princess millionaire ballplayers.  No veteran players who sprain their spleen every time they tie their shoe.  And best of all… No. Emotional. Attachment.  Although, there’s a possibility this could change since I’ve actually been paying more attention.  But even if I do get emotionally attached the season is just barely 3 months long.  What harm can come of that?  (I do realize I just jinxed something here...hopefully it wasn’t the Cyclones.)

What it comes down to is that I’m just happy to know that there will be baseball I can enjoy during the Summer. 

You know what would have been an even better way to go about firing Willie?  Honoring him at Shea Stadium with “Willie Randolph Day” after a multi-game winning streak.  His wife and kids can throw out the ceremonial first pitch.  They can play a video homage to him with a video starting with his greatest moments with the Mets and ending with his worst.  This, of course, would be followed with Omar making a statement to the bloated number of fans announced at the game that Willie is no longer the manager of the New York Mets.  Then suddenly the dart board with Willie’s face on it that was given out to the first 25,000 fans makes so much more sense.

Seriously, could they have gone about this any worse?? 

Willie Randolph will remain manager of the New York Mets through to 2009 until George W. Bush becomes available to take over his position.

Just when I give in to the suckage of this team and decide to just enjoy baseball good or bad I get my very first rain out.  So what are you supposed to do during this time?  I thought I would walk around and take some photos of Shea but taking a bunch of photos with people just standing around doesn’t really capture the feel I was hoping for.  Instead I just became one of those people standing around. 

I have to say - rain delays - boring.  Really they can’t even put some music on for us???  Let us watch whatever SNY is airing.  Even Beer Money would have been better than just nothing.

Then it happened… activity in the Rangers dugout. Rangers on the field in the pouring rain.  What the heck is going on???  Rangers running out onto the tarp.  Were they inspired by Wagner and Schoenwies and are helping out the grounds crew?  No.  It’s Slip n’ Slide time!!!  They were having to much fun.  I loved it.  Then it appeared that security was about to ruin their fun.  I though they were about to give in until they all just gave it one last run and sliiiiiiide.  (I would have loved to have seen the yellow rain coats go out and run after them.) No sign of any Mets players though.  Heaven forbid they have ANY fun out on the field.  I know.  I know… too risky. We don’t need anyone else on the DL.

[More photos]