Gotham Baseball Early Season 2012 by Heals

CLEARING THE BASES

VOLUME 6 | ISSUE 1 | EARLY SEASON 2012

Fantasy Guru George Kurtz on the Best & Worst of the season

HALL OF FAME

HUMIDOR

The Suite Life presents 10 Hall-Worthy Smokes

FAREWELL TO

THE KID

A Special Going 9 Tribute to Hall-of-Fame Catcher Gary Carter

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GARY EDMUND CARTER April 8, 1954-February 16, 2012

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FROM THE FRONT OFFICE A Word from Mark C. Healey & Joseph M. Lara THE LEADOFF SPOT Talking Baseball With … Mario Cuomo COOPERSTOWN ARCHIVE Little Big Man GOTHAM CARES An Epic Journey: A Glove of Their Own THE SUITE LIFE Living the Suite Life: Hall of Fame Humidor PINSTRIPES Homegrown Hero: Robinson Cano SIMPLY AMAZIN' Celebrating 50 Years Of Magic: Seaver Ks 19 COLLECTOR’S CORNER Rolling The Dice With Grover Powell GOTHAM FANTASY Gotham's Top Fantasy Players GOING NINE Farewell To The Kid

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FROM THE FRONT OFFICE

A WORD FROM MARK C. HEALEY & JOSEPH M. LARA

SURPRISE, SURPRISE...

www.GothamBaseball.com

IT’S A NEW YORK SUMMER! This offseason most people thought the New York Mets, celebrating their 50th Anniversary season, would be horrible. How could a team that saw the largest payroll drop in baseball history possibly compete in the NL East? There’s the defending champion Phillies, the new-look Miami Marlins (with a new shortstop named Jose Reyes, no less), the Washington Nationals with their stars (Strasburg, Zimmerman, Harper and old pal Davey Johnson at the helm), not to mention the still-dangerous Chipper Jones, in his last season, leading an otherwise young and talented Braves team? Well, so far, as Gotham Baseball predicted, pretty darn good.

But this season also brings with it a note of sadness, as we said goodbye to Gary Carter, the"Kid", who is written about in this issue's "Going Nine". Carter, however, isn't the only notable player from the past that we are saying goodbye to. This past winter, we also lost the great Moose Swokron (who we featured in the Summer 2007 issue of Gotham Baseball). A very good player; he was an All-Star every season from 1957 to 1961 with the Yankees and again in 1965 with the Chicago White Sox. He was at his best in the World Series, hitting 8 home runs and driving in 29 runs in 39 games. In 1956, he hit a grand slam to help propel the Yankees to a Game 7 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1958, he drove in the eventual winning run in Game 6 against the Milwaukee Braves, then hit a three-run homer in the Yankees’ Game 7 triumph, capping their comeback from a 3-games-to-1 deficit. In 1963, after being traded by the Yankees to the Dodgers he hit .385 with a home run in Los Angeles’s four-game World Series sweep of the Yankees. But he never wore that 1963 World Series ring, "I hated the Dodgers", he would recall decades later. That's why we loved him. Current fans got to know Skowron as a recurring guest on WFAN's "Mike & The Mad Dog Show", and his stories of New York baseball's Golden Age will never be forgotten.

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

Also in this issue you'll read about how Mario Cuomo helped save the Mets, how Bob Salomon is helping kids across America get "A Glove of their Own" and we'll remember another great New York icon, the incredible Phil Rizzuto. Summer's here folks and it looks like Gotham's clubs are going to to be in for a heckuva pennant race!

Co-Publisher & Director of Advertising JOSEPH M. LARA t: 908.310.1659 • e:GothamBaseballSales@gmail.com Co-Publisher & Executive Editor MARK C. HEALEY e: mhealey@gothambaseball.com Creative Director STACY LAVENDER, BALLYHOO CENTRAL, LTD. t: 516.695.3030 • e: info@ballyhoo-central.com Art Director ADRIANA SOLER-KOZAROWITZKY BALLYHOO CENTRAL, LTD. Public Relations FAITH ARMONAITIS t: 201.288.6312 • e: faithpr@optonline.net General Counsel GENE BERARDELLI, ESQ. Fantasy Baseball Editor PAUL GRECO GothamBaseball.com Web Designer JOE MCDONALD, DAMOCLES DESIGNS Contributing Writers Gary Armida Chip Armonaitis Jerry Milani Charles M. Hollon Stephen Hanks George Kurtz

Special Thanks Bill Menzel John Pennisi Joe Favorito Bloomberg Sports Strawberry’s Grill Marty Appel James Paguaga

Gotham Baseball is a collaboration between t: 516-849-9996 e: mhealey@gothambaseball.com

Mark C. Healey

Joseph M. Lara

Co Publisher & Executive Editor

Co-Publisher & Director of Advertising

t: 908.310.1659 e: info@jmlmediagroup.com Entire contents © 2011 Gotham Baseball, except where noted. The publishers accept no responsibility for any claims made by advertisers. The opinions expressed in byline articles are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the opinion of the magazine or the publishers. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the express written consent of the publishers.

BY CHARLES HOLLON

TALKING BASEBALL WITH…

MARIO CUOMO “South Jamica, Queens” That’s how it started. There wasn’t a question, but that’s how he started.

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

To understand a man, a good place to start is where it all began.

The 52nd Governor of the State of New York, Governor Mario Cuomo is considered by friend and foe alike as one of the more eloquent politicians to ever serve the Empire State. The New York Times called his tenure “one of the most celebrated governorships in history.” Noted speaker, author, and husband of 52 years, the dad and former minor league baseball player is 79 years young.

“My parents came here not knowing how to read or write our language,” Cuomo said, speaking of the challenges his parents faced, which were immense. The elder Cuomo was hungry for work. “To say my Dad was a brick-layer would be untrue. He really was a laborer”. In that close knit neighborhood where Italians, Irish, Czechoslovakian and Jewish people blended peacefully there was a grocery store that sat on a corner owned by a man named Kessler. “My dad had a friend who was a great customer of that grocery store, Mr. Lamarca,” recalled Cuomo. Lamarca would convince Mr. Kessler that a strong helping hand was needed. There was also an apartment behind the store. It would be a fine place for a young family to live. One of the rooms was once used as a dentist office. “My parents still had the stencil on the door, that said, Stanley Katz, DDS,” he added with a chuckle. “We lived well, not elegant.” That grocery store would provide more then just food for a young family in search of

now teenage Mario and an academic scholarship would land him there. “By a miracle,” Cuomo added, the he was able to actually attend the school.

“That’s where I was born, in that store,” Cuomo said. “I was weighed on a macaroni scale.”

Father John Cotter not only saw the intelligence in the making, but saw an outfielder for his JV squad. Cuomo would patrol the outfield and even garner a Catholic High School city championship in the process.

Immaculata Cuomo would work long hours to provide for his family. As his son Mario grew, he would take quickly to the neighborhood that was rich in diversity and culture. Although not blessed with being able to speak much English, he was fast – very fast – and loved sports. In those days however, there wasn’t many places for a young man to play many sports. Joe Austen, a night manager at a brewery that made Piel’s Beer (ask your grandfather), recognized there was a need to build a place for young boys who were dying to do something after school. A makeshift baseball field was put together on Liberty Avenue in the neighborhood with Austen spearheading the project. The mound was constructed with stones and then had regular dirt packed on top. “There wasn’t any clay around so if you were a tall guy and came down hard on that mound, it was pretty difficult, ” Cuomo said. Parents and friends would chip in for bats, balls, some second hand gloves and eventually that field would give way to the schooling of Mario Cuomo on a baseball field. Not only was the youngster quick who played center field, tracking down fly balls but Shimer Junior High School was educating him pretty well also. He excelled in learning the language that many later in his life would call him a master of. Saint John’s Prep would be on deck for the

“I don’t remember ever getting good,” Cuomo said. “I looked like a ballplayer and I just played.” Cuomo not only enjoyed baseball but football and basketball were high on the activity list. ”I really loved playing basketball, sometimes more then baseball, because you were always in the game when you were on the court. At times in baseball, you could go a few innings and not be involved in the game at all.” Perhaps as a preview for things to come in life as a man who held his ground, Cuomo would add that he loved being able to muscle a guy “who was an inch or two bigger then me under the boards.” The athletic Cuomo would continue to have folks sit up and take notice with his smooth presence on all the fields of life. Cuomo played a good deal of baseball, but a limited number of games at school wouldn’t satisfy his needs. “Pete Metropolis,” Cuomo belted, “He was instrumental in things back then.” Pete Metropolis would rent a baseball field in Connecticut, he would pay some of the young men who would make the trek out and feature Cuomo as well as a young-future Hall of Famer, Whitey Ford (“He could really

pitch.”), Ford was in the service at the time and assigned to Fort Totten. “If you were on any of the JV teams, you couldn’t play anywhere else, so I had to play under a few different names,” Cuomo smiled. He rattled off some of his early pseudos, “Glendy LaDuque, Lava (‘because I was always hot’) LaBrielle and Oiram Omouc.” Oiram? “That’s my name spelled backwards.” he chuckled. Off the baseball field, Mario Cuomo would enroll at St. John’s University, also with an academic scholarship. Cuomo would study English, Philosophy and Law. It was 1949 and in addition to patrolling the outfield for St. John’s, Cuomo was being scouted both in Connecticut and in school. “Ed McCarrick,” the name slid out of Cuomo’s mouth with the ease of a curve ball. McCarrick at the time was the regional scout for Branch Rickey’s Pittsburgh Pirates. McCarrick had an eye on the quick-footed outfielder. McCarrick’s scouting report read, ”could go all the way… He is aggressive and plays hard. He is intelligent.” It was baseball, McCarrick was talking about, although one has to wonder if the old scout didn’t have a bit of psychic ability too. The deal that Cuomo would ink would net him a $2,000 signing bonus. Mickey Mantle would receive $1100 when he would sign with the Yankees. “We had some fun with that over the years,” Cuomo laughed. “Mickey once said, ‘those had to be the two dumbest scouts ever, I’m in the Hall of Fame and the other guy couldn’t get out of the D league’.” Was he a Mantle fan?

“Mantle was a great player, but my guy was always Joe DiMaggio,” Cuomo said. “I got to know him a bit when he was doing the Mr. Coffee ads. We were Yankee fans, all of us, you know the Giants… they played in the place that’s named after that game where rich people rode horses.”

As for the Dodgers, who were still from Brooklyn at the the time Cuomo was a youngster, the Governor muscled up his best Queens accent, “dem guys aren’t like us.” As the spring of 1952 started, Mario Cuomo was assigned to the class D Brunswick, Georgia Pirates, a far cry from the sandlots of South Jamica. Cuomo started off well hitting well over .300 while perfecting his bunting skills and sharpening his eye at the plate. As the summer rolled in and most of the country was listening to Al Martino on the radio, Cuomo squared off against the Cordele A’s and a 19-year old right-hander named John Barbier. Barbier, a side-armer delivered a pitch up and in and struck Cuomo in the back of the head. “We didn’t have batting helmets. There was one in the dugout, that was for guy’s who had been hit before or for anyone who wanted to wear it,” Cuomo said. “You didnt want to be the guy who was asked to wear it. “One thing that gets lost in history a bit, you know was that not only did Branch Rickey sign and bring up Jackie Robinson but he also helped get batting helmets into the big leagues, I wish I was wearing one.” Cuomo was unconscious for over a minute and the episode required a stint in the hospital. “I was in Brunswick Memorial for about a week,” he said.

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

The story of the Cuomo family journey to America speaks to the soul of our country and to the generations long before the Internet and the Kardashians.

their place in the land of opportunity. It would provide nourishement for the soul and help pave the way for an American story.

THE LEAD OFF SPOT

Photograph courtesy of BloombergSports

THE LEAD OFF SPOT

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

THE PERFECT FFATHER’S ATHER' S DDAY AY GIFT

When Cuomo was able to play again, the Brunswick Pirates season had ended. In the x-rays taken on Cuomo there showed the possibility of a blood clot. It would mark the end of Mario Cuomo, the speedy outfielder with the great glove. That glove that all those years ago was so very important to that young kid from Queens. “I remember when I was in that grocery store, and by this time my Dad owned it and I was the delivery boy. I saved up $2 to buy a glove, but it cost $4-5 to get a glove with a ballplayer’s name on it. So my glove said ‘Greased Palm’. I got a nail and made it read Greasy Palm, told everyone he was the second baseman for the Cubs.” “You know it really was the poor man’s game.” Things changed. Mario Cuomo went back to St John’s and well took on a different cause, but that’s another story for another time. The one thing however that never changed and still rings true is Cuomo’s love for the game and certain players. “You know I never did get over my admiration for Joe Dimaggio, still to this day,” Cumo said. “I’ve also gotten to know Hank Aaron pretty well, what a fine gentleman, he was some hitter. He could have stolen a ton of bases too, but back then, they didn’t want their big hitters getting hurt running the base paths.” Nowadays, Mario, the once speedy outfielder, the once Governor, is counsel for the law firm, Willkie Farr & Gallagher. And in that role, while he may not have become the next great Italian-American ballplayer, he certainly has made an impact in New York baseball. In February of 2011, Justice Burton R. Lifland, the United States bankruptcy judge, was overseeing a lawsuit, a very public and noteworthy action brought by Irving Picard, the trustee in charge for recovering money for the victims of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme. Lifland tapped Cuomo to mediate between Picard and New York Mets owners, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz. The judge noted, that the “special issues” in the case require “an appropriately experienced mediator.” As someone who has worked deals out that many would have run from, Cuomo was up for the challenge. After all, his career saw him tackle everything from a dispute over low-income public housing that was set to take up residence in Forest Hills, Queens to the potentially explosive and life threatening riots in Sing Sing. “This is a pretty tough case, I do believe a settlement actually works for everyone here,” Cuomo said when we first spoke with him a few months ago. “I think the judge (Justice Jed Rakoff), is a strong and very bright man, he’s made some new rulings on the case and well we’ll see where it goes.” Where it went was remarkable, and how it was handled speaks to the great skills of a master negotiator who just happened to love the game of baseball. From ESPN.com: The owners of the New York Mets have settled with trustee Irving Picard for $162 million, their alleged profit from certain Ponzi scheme funds in the six years before Bernard Madoff's arrest.

In reality, Fred Wilpon and family will be on the hook for only a fraction of that amount – and will not be required to make any payments until 2016 and 2017. That's because, as part of the settlement, the Wilpons will be able to apply to the trustee to be reimbursed for $178 million in losses from certain funds. Obviously, like any victims of Madoff's Ponzi scheme, they won't recover every dollar. But they will get a certain percentage based on how much the trustee collects overall from net winners – likely 50 percent or more. As a result, the Wilpons' actual payment to Picard – once the Wilpons' loser funds are reimbursed like other victims – should be a fraction of the actual $162 million settlement. Basically, instead of losing a team they wanted desperately to keep, instead of facing a billion dollars in possible fines and penalties, Fred Wilpon and his family are on the road to recovery. It wasn’t a development many people expected, but somehow, Mario Cuomo was able to get it done. In typical Cuomo fashion though, he deflected the praise. “I don't think people understand how good of a job David Sheehan, Esq. did for the trustee,” Cuomo said following the announcement of the settlement. “People have said its a home-run for the Mets, but Mr Sheehan got a number of things including a significant amount of money for the victims… his work was outstanding.” Judge Rakoff placed the burden upon the Wilpon group just days before the trial, to prove that they didn't ignore warnings about Madoff's fraud, rather than on Irving Picard, the trustee. “You know when you get closer to the fire of a trial, both sides can feel the heat, I do believe that's what was happening here. If there was no settlement, it could have gone on for awhile, the expense, pain and up and downs of a trial, then very possible an appeal” In speaking with Cuomo it was clear to see the most enjoyment he has is speaking of his family, and of course, our game. “Good baseball works everywhere, no matter where it is,” Cuomo said. “I do wish it was easier for kids and families to go to games then it currently is.” Many would consider Cuomo’s political career to be worth of a Politician’s Hall of Fame. So, what if he magically could do it all over again, would he rather have been that fine outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates or the Governor of New York? “Hmm, I’m not Governor anymore so its easy to answer that question,” Cuomo said. “I guess with my son having become the Governor, I’d let him handle that and I could go back and be the center fielder for the Pirates.”

FOR EVERY YANKEE FAN “This is a great read that takes you on an intimate trip into the Yankee Universe.”

—Billy Crystal “The best book I have ever read other than the Bible.”

—Fritz Peterson, former Yankees pitcher “No book . . . has successfully taken the mantle of ‘definitive’ for this franchise, but it appears we ﬁnally have a taker . . . literally covering it all from before George Herman Ruth to after George Steinbrenner.”

—MLB.com

MS A I L L I W B E R N I E R E WA R D BY FO RA R E B I G YO P R E FA C E

Available now wherever books are sold.

COOPERSTOWN ARCHIVE

BY MARK HEALEY

little

BIG MAN ‘ ’ The champion of little guys everywhere, longtime Yankee Phil Rizzuto died last summer at the age of 89. During his incredible career as a champion Yankee shortstop, beloved broadcaster and tireless philanthropist, he built a treasure chest of great memories for generations of baseball fans. In an era where the stain of steroid use has marred the sport, the memory and accomplishments of this 5-foot-7 shortstop should remind everyone of what the game – at its core – is supposed to be. The Brooklyn-born Rizzuto's family moved to Queens when he was 12, and he soon became an All-City shortstop in his sophomore and junior years at Richmond Hill High School. Filled with dreams of making the big leagues, Rizzuto dropped out of high school in 1936. His hopes were nearly dashed when tryouts for the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers ended in failure.

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

The audition for the Dodgers was especially embarrassing for Rizzuto, who was told by then-Brooklyn skipper Casey Stengel that he was too small and should “get himself a shoeshine box” if he ever wanted to make a living. However, there was one man who would change Rizzuto’s destiny, and that man was the Yankees’ general manager George Weiss. Weiss was a stern, humorless man who refused to sign a black player for a decade after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. Nevertheless, he was also an incredible talent evaluator who had hired the best scouts in baseball, instructing them to scour the country for talent. One such scout was Paul Krichell (who had also discovered Yankee Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig and Tony Lazzeri). Krichell looked past Rizzuto’s size and instead saw speed, agility and a tremendous aptitude for the game. He arranged a tryout for the Yankees, who signed him quickly. That insight paid off as Rizzuto’s 13-year Yankees career began in 1941, and following a three-year stint in the Navy, resulted in his becoming a five-time American League All-Star. Ironically, Rizzuto would renew acquaintances with Stengel in 1949, the year Stengel was brought to the Bronx.

“When (Stengel) became the Yankee manager in 1949, I reminded him of (the tryout), but he pretended he didn't remember,” Rizzuto said. "By '49, I didn’t need a shoebox, anyway. The clubhouse boy at the stadium shined my Yankee spikes every day.”

Magazine held the unveiling of our last print issue at Mickey Mantle's Restaurant. Because of the nature of his relationship with the Rizzuto family, specifically Phil, Gotham artist John Pennisi was asked to attend the family-only services.

In 1956, Rizzuto’s baseball career took a dramatic turn. He turned in his glove for a microphone, joining the Yankees’ broadcast team. Whether he was working with Mel Allen, or in later years with Bill White and Bobby Murcer, the “Scooter” came into people’s living rooms like a favorite uncle, sharing his tales of wife Cora’s cooking and occasionally watching the game, shouting his trademark “Holy Cow” when the situation called for it. Even when it didn’t, it hardly mattered.

He didn't hesitate to assure the Rizzuto family that he would certainly attend to pay his respects to his great friend, and called me to apologize that he wouldn't be able to attend our press conference at Mantle's.

Perhaps most importantly for Rizzuto – whose commercials for Yoo-Hoo and The Money Store made him an iconic figure – is the charity work that defined his life. For those that knew him intimately, they say he was a far better person than he was a ballplayer. He's in the Hall of Fame, in case you forgot. Just ask Eddie Lucas. Like many ballplayers during his time Rizzuto had an off season job working at a clothing store in New Jersey. It was there that Rizzuto met a young Lucas, a blind child who had lost his sight after being hit in the face with a baseball. Before long, Rizzuto befriended the boy and began a tireless campaign to raise money for St. Joseph’s School for the Blind. He also made it his regular business to spend as much time as he could with the boy, sometimes just showing up – always without fanfare – to “buy the kid a slice of pizza or something”.

“I'm sorry, Mark,” said Pennisi, an amazing illustrator who designed the cover of Gotham's last print issue (“7”), and whose portrait of Gary Carter adorns the issue you are currently reading. “I'm sorry, Mark,” he said. “I really want to be there but I lost a wonderful friend. He was truly a tremendous human being.” It was Pennisi who told me countless stories of Rizzuto's generosity, and also lamented the media coverage of his friend's death as “just baseball tributes that didn't come close to capturing the story of Rizzuto the man”. Even when he was in the last few months of his life, Pennisi told me, Rizzuto was trying to help people.

“Cora and Phil guided me throughout my life. Without them I would not be the man

"About three months before Phil passed there was a fundraiser for my nephew Joey, who three years earlier at age 16 was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer,” Pennisi said. “I tried for several weeks to get some celebrities to attend the event to do some meet and greets, take some photos and sign autographs for the people who attended the benefit.”

A day before the event, I got a phone call from Ray Negron who is one of (George) Steinbrenners' advisors I am today.” and who was trying to help us get any Yankees to attend Lucas is now chairman of the St. Joseph’s School for – Eddie Lucas the event, but wasn't having any luck,” Pennisi recalled the Blind's Rizzuto Celebrity Charity Golf Classic, an grimly. “Phil overheard that no ballplayers were going event that has raised millions for St. Joseph’s, and has to be able to attend. He sat up in his wheelchair and since moved to a brand-new state-of-the -art facility. with determination in his voice he said, 'I can do that. Without Rizzuto, neither the school – for which he John, I can do it'. He got upset when I told him thanks but we'll find another raised millions of dollars – nor Lucas will ever forget him. way to make it successful.” "When I was a teenager, Phil would come by, totally spontaneously, and “This was the first time I ever seen Phil get upset,” Pennisi said, thickly. take me out for pizza or ice cream or just a ride,” Lucas told Gotham “He was so visibly agitated. He wanted to help Joey. Phil sat in his Baseball Magazine. “Now, let's not forget he was spending quality time wheelchair shaking his head no and his lips grew rigid, with me at a time of his life when he was the best at his craft. I met him repeating he can help Joey. Phil was such a giving man. just after his M.V.P. season and he treated me as if I were his son. I've always considered Cora and Phil as my second parents. And to my “I know I'll never meet anyone like him. He was always children they were like generous grandparents." a pleasure to be around wanting to cheer up anyone who needed their spirits to be lifted. He reminded me so Rizzuto would take Lucas to Yankee Stadium, encouraging the front much of my dad. I just wished my dad could have office and press corps alike to mentor the young man as he followed gotten to know Phil. They could have went to his dreams of being a sportswriter. the track together, played golf, ate wonderful "Cora and Phil guided me throughout my life,” Lucas said. “Without Italian meals at Rao's or Casa Donte. I them I would not be the man I am today. Phil came to my graduations – pray Phil, my dad and Joey are in heaven and getting to know even my seeing eye dogs' graduation. each other." “The Scooter even testified at my custody trial for my two boys – which The man beyond the Hall I won!" of Fame, the stats, those Lucas said this with a gratified smile. He then paused for a moment and big tinted glasses is the with a sincere tone in his voice said, “He might have been short in real Phil Rizzuto, who is stature but he had a heart bigger than all of Yankee Stadium.” missed by all that knew him, and the millions more that “He was always doing for others.” wished they did. Ironically, his funeral was on exactly the same day as Gotham Baseball Nineteen year-old Joey Pennisi lost his three-year battle with cancer this past January. He is remembered by his friends and family as a wonderful kid who faced his illness with tremendous spirit and courage - MH

Photography courtesy of A Glove of Their Own

A GLOVE OF THEIR OWN: AN EPIC JOURNEY

GOTHAM CARES

BY JERRY MILANI

It is amazing how one life could drastically change with hard work, a passion, and dedication. Three years ago, Bob Salomon was just a regular family man with a wife, two kids, and a full-time job as an officer for the state of New Jersey. While Salomon enters his 24th year on the job, these days you can also find him at the center of a unique movement with the commitment to making a difference.

“A Glove of Their Own” is a story about paying it forward and children who play baseball simply for the love of the game. You’ll find no coaches, no concession stands, and sometimes just an old bat and ball. This is the way baseball was meant to be. It has the power to touch both the old and young, with the underlining theme of both kindness and “paying it forward”.

Proudly Sponsored By:

Salomon now collaborates with some of the biggest names in sports, as he has gained the trust of the hundreds that support him. Since its publication in 2008, “A Glove of Their Own” has received recognition and attention on a national level, with numerous accolades and supporters that include both former and current players alike. The endless list features names such as Yogi Berra, Joe Torre, Tommy John, Phil Niekro, Bud Harrelson, Roy White, Bernie Williams, Eric Chavez, and Nelson Cruz, among many others. Even companies such as Louisville Slugger, Modell’s, Rawlings, and Upper Deck have joined the cause. Bob’s latest addition to the list of superstars is former New York Yankees great and current Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don

Mattingly. Like the many others behind his movement, Bob and Don share many of the same values, beliefs, and overall determination that have helped form the basis for their success. With their respected efforts, these men have only one mindset towards the future, and that is to help children. Mattingly currently orchestrates “Mattingly Charities,” which is a nonprofit fundraising organization that launched in January of 2011. Its main purpose is to serve under privileged children by supporting programs that promote baseball and softball participation. The former Yankee is also an avid supporter and contributor to the Boys’ Club of New York. When ordering “A Glove of Their Own,” $3 will be donated to Mattingly Charities when using the code “DON23” at AGloveOfTheirOwn.com. “It is an honor to have Don Mattingly on board,” Salomon said. “He is an icon and a role model for many in professional sports. He is also a class act, whose off the field work is second to none. I grew up rooting for Don as a kid, so I am truly grateful to have him support me today.” “A Glove of Their Own” captures the spirit and true meaning of giving back and sharing with kids less fortunate,” said Mattingly. “It is another reminder of why the game of baseball is so special.”

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

As the co-creator and driving force behind the children’s book, “A Glove of Their Own,” Bob has watched numerous organizations and foundations use his book as a platform to spread the message of giving and helping children.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

BY JOSEPH M. LARA

After the success of the first book, Bob hopes to reach even greater heights as he produces a second children’s book, while this time, using the sport of football. The story will portray the true gift of athletes, which is the impact they have on children. It will unite all sports and also showcase the message of never giving up.

Living the... Suite life

The story promises to take you on a roller coaster of emotions as the game of football helps a father and son overcome and obstacle that simply defines the will to keep fighting. Salomon’s own love for the sport is beneficial, and with many big names sharing his beliefs, the sky is the limit for what this new project can achieve. “The goal of the football book is to make all athletes come together to help kids,” Salomon said. “We want to tour throughout hospitals around the country with various sports figures and send the message out about not giving up. My dream is that the NFL and United Way will use the book to help promote this message and place a positive impact on children and the game of football.” With the baseball book, the vision is almost parallel. Bob continues to reach out to all 30 Major League Baseball teams and hopes that one day, each team will use his story as a platform for the various outreach programs in the sport. His latest efforts have led him to an advisory board position with the Dave Clark Foundation, which helps children with disabilities.

ago, when the mere act of going to a baseball game was something of a fancy affair. It was common to see men

puffing cigars in the stands clad in suits, ties, polished shoes, and fedoras. Ladies were also dressed to impress, often wearing their finest to the game as well. Over the years fandom has evolved into a more casual affair, however as of late major league teams are making an effort to bring back the luxury of the ballpark. Premium restaurants, private clubs, and suites are now commonplace in both the new Yankee Stadium and Citi-Field with the aforementioned catering to a higher end fan

There are over 8 million Baseball fans and players of all levels in New York...

experience. Noticing these changes, it got us thinking. Why couldn’t we merge the two worlds of fandom and luxury to create something that is truly spectacular? While the lyrics to Take Me Out To The Ballgame will always remain “buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks” and not “buy me Grey Goose and filet mignon”, we see that the modern New York sports fan has

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

It is amazing to step back and see the relationships that Salomon has made since the inception of “A Glove of Their Own.” Today, one of his valued friendships is the one he holds with former MLB player and current ESPN analyst Doug Glanville, who has served as a sounding board for Bob’s endeavors.

“I connected with Bob Salomon through a mutual passion and cause,” Glanville said. “We both shared the desire to help youth through sport. After one phone call that could have lasted 24 hours, we knew right away that we spoke the same language. His drive and passion through the phone was tangible. I was drawn to his selfless will to step aside and let the purpose lead the way. There was no ego, there was no filter. It was real and it was about children.”

a taste for exploring fine things and new experiences. Of course, that’s not to say we’re going to go back to wearing suits and dresses to the ballpark, but wouldn’t you sport the new Rolex Sky Dweller with your favorite jersey? Would you pass up the opportunity to sip Johnny Walker Blue in an air-conditioned suite for binoculars in the upper deck?

...Do they know who you are?

To join the movement AGloveOfTheirOwn.com.

and

learn

more,

please

visit

To contact Bob Salomon, feel free to e-mail him directly at AGloveOfTheirOwn@aol.com.

Baseball’s premium department for premium fans. Each issue The Suite Life will bring you the newest and best items and experiences in the luxury marketplace including ultra-premium

All in all, it is clear that Bob Salomon, Don Mattingly, and the rest of Bob’s supporters are all truly blessed and want to do right by the children. “I hope you will join him,” Glanville added. “Because it is a runaway train and it will one day bring the humanity back to all of the sports we hold dear by employing our greatest resource – people.”

I am very proud to introduce to you all The Suite Life, Gotham

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With that said and without further ado it is my pleasure and

T: (908) 310-1659 E:jmlara@gothambaseball.com

privilege to raise a toast to you New York, Enjoy!

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

“Bob Salomon is one of those people who you can just tell is extremely motivated to promote a great cause,” said Rich Lampmann, director of promotions and public relations at Modell’s Sporting Goods. “Bob shares the same feeling as countless Americans when it comes to the game of baseball. The memories of pick-up games in the yard, lot, or at the field stick with us for a lifetime. Bob and his team have taken this a step further and are not only promoting the game in and of itself, but also using the game as a means of spreading sportsmanship and teamwork for the greater good.”

here was a time in the game of baseball, many decades

Hall of Fame

Humidor ndulging in a hand rolled ultra-premium cigar is known throughout the world as a symbol of status, class, and sophistication. As an avid cigar smoker myself, I can attest that at times there is nothing better than the creamy smoke of a puro dancing on your tongue while you sip a fine aged whiskey. Since the earliest inception of the game there has been an intimate relationship between baseball and cigars. While Honus Wagner was famous for being against tobacco cards because they encouraged children to smoke, he himself always had a pocketful of cigars. Babe Ruth was known for his excessive lifestyle, which always included a good smoke. The list of baseball’s cigar lovers goes on and on really and includes some of the most legendary names in the history of the sport like Duke Snider, Ralph Kiner, Mel Allen, Joe Torre, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and even Bobby Cox. In keeping with the great baseball tradition of cigars, we present to you our favorites and the first inductees into The Suite Life’s Hall of Fame Humidor.

Every cigar smoker has one cigar that we can call our favorite. For me, that would be The Gurkha Grand Reserve. While the entirety of the Gurkha line is legendary including the $15,000 a box His Majesty’s Reserve, it’s the Grand Reserve that I have found myself drawn back to time and time again. Made with a cappuccino colored Connecticut Shade wrapper and Dominican binder and filler, the Grand Reserve is infused with Louis XIII Cognac in a highly secretive process, giving it one of the most amazing flavors you’ve ever tasted. The deep flavor of the world’s greatest cognac penetrates throughout the entire smoke mixed in with hints of spice and pepper as you make your way through. H. UPMANN SUN GROWN H. Upmann is one of the legendary brands in the cigar world with the original Cuban versions still available outside of the U.S. One of the newest domestic lines of the H. Upmann, The Sun Grown boasts an Ecuadorian sun grown wrapper, Connecticut broadleaf binder, and a Honduran and Nicaraguan filler. Flavor-wise the H. Upmann Sun Grown is predominantly woody with hints of pepper and spice throughout. There is also a subtle sweetness that lingers for most of the cigar until the final third where it turns from a mild to a medium body with hints of leather. MONTECRISTO PLATINUM

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

AVO HERITAGE The AVO brand is synonymous with consistently incredible cigars, some of the world’s finest blends, and unrivalled quality. The AVO Heritage is one of the newest and most affordable lines by the old master and consists of a beautiful and oily reddish brown Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper, Dominican San Vicente binder, and a mixed filler of both Dominican and Peruvian Seco and Dominican Ligero. The AVO Heritage is a medium to full bodied smoke which alternates between creamy and peppery spice throughout the entire profile beginning with flavors of cocoa and nougat which move into spice with earthy hints of grass, cedar, and nuts.

CURIVARI EL GRAN REY Curivari is one of the newer players in the cigar market and a company that is already making a lot of noise. One of their finest cigars thus far is the El Gran Rey, a smooth and medium bodied Nicaraguan stick. Extremely Cuban-esque in flavor, the EL Gran Rey starts super smooth with hints of bright leather and floral, giving way to a mixture of leather with a touch of cocoa. All in all I would definitely say Curivari is a highly impressive brand you’ll want to stock up on.

EL TIANTE HABANO OSCURO CAMACHO TRIPLE MADURO The first time I saw the almost black wrapper of the Camacho Triple Maduro I thought for sure it was going to kick my ass. What I found, however, was that Camacho not only created the first ever all Honduran maduro cigar, but created a cigar that will tease you with hints of coffee, bitter dark chocolate, and leather only to knock you on your ass in the end with a creamy yet deeply strong finish.

There is no cigar that has a greater connection with the game of Baseball then the El Tiante line. Created by legendary Yankee pitcher Luis Tiant, the Habano Oscuro is produced at the My Father factory and blended by Don Pepin Garcia, Jaime Garcia, and Luis himself. While the Habana Oscuro starts out with a bit of pepper and spice it quickly gives way to a cinnamon and nutmeg flavored chocolate. The mixture of spice, pepper, and creamy chocolate continue all the way through the end creating a deep richness that will leave you wanting more.

As mentioned with the Grand Reserve above, the Montecristo Platinum is another one of the cigars you’ll always find in my humidor. Smooth and sweet it is presented in a Sumatra wrapper with a Mexican binder and Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian fillers. The smoke starts with a sweet and savory cocoa mixed with a touch of dried fruit and leather, and moves on to include a hint of pepper as the body gets stronger around the halfway mark. One thing to note about the Montecristo Platinum is that the creaminess factor stays with the cigar from beginning to the end where you’ll hit a climax of amazing flavors all at once. The Montecristo Platinum is definitely a smoke you have to try and a fan favorite in my book.

NAT SHERMAN TIMELESS Nat Sherman cigars aren’t just a part of the New York Cigar Scene, they’re the most legendary and historically significant cigar brand and store to ever come out of the city. While most of their lines are on the milder side, Nat Sherman Cigars recently took back the distribution of their brands and hired Michael Herklots, the New York cigar impresario formerly of Davidoff, to knock this one out of the park. And hit a grand slam they did. Made with a very attractive dark brown Honduran Criollo wrapper, the binder of the cigar is Dominican with a combination Dominican and Nicaraguan filler. The Timeless opens with slight notes of cocoa, hay, and Earth giving way to strong delicious flavors of chocolate and espresso,

and finishing with roasted nuts that perfectly complement the blend. There are also subtle undertones of pepper throughout the whole smoke which serve to accentuate the sweeter flavors. Michael Herklots and the team at Nat Sherman have most definitely created another timeless classic in the Nat Sherman Timeless, and we recommend you get down to their shop on 42nd and Madison to not only try it for yourself but experience a huge piece of New York history. PARTAGAS 1845 The Partagas 1845 is a cigar that comes with almost 200 years of heritage and history behind its name. Partagas cigars are easily one of the most world renowned and popular cigar brands on the market. The Partagas 1845 is made with a dark and deep brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a Connecticut Habano binder, and Dominican rum barrel filler. Starting as a medium bodied smoke with hints of cocoa, spice, leather, and cedar, there is a distinct sweet mineral flavor that creeps up as you smoke and gets stronger even as the cigar takes on a fuller body and richer flavors. There is also a nice pepper that develops and adds to the final strength of the smoke. The Partagas 1845 is another winner by a legendary brand that you should all put on your must try list. ROCKY PATEL VINTAGE 1990 The Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 is another one of my all-time favorites and a cigar I keep well stocked. Made with a Broadleaf Honduran wrapper that is aged 12 years, a Nicaraguan binder, and a combination Dominican and Nicaraguan filler, the Vintage 1990 starts out with delicious notes of cocoa and spicy wood. As you progress though the cigar the spice fades to a creamy floral mix of cocoa beans and jasmine, finishing off with a smooth and balanced burst of flavor. I actually had the chance to smoke one of these with Rocky himself on one of my many trips to the Cigar Inn on 2nd Avenue, and not only is he one of the most humble and congenial cigar makers in the business, he makes one of the most top quality products out there. HONORABLE MENTION: LA AROMA DE CUBA MI AMOR DUQUE I haven’t had the chance to try the La Aroma De Cuba Mi Amor Duque yet, as the newest size in the line has only started shipping a few weeks ago. I have, however, tried the heavenly belicoso. Made with Mexican San Andres Broadleaf and a Nicaraguan binder and filler, the new La Aroma De Cuba Mi Amor line is a collaboration between Don Pepin Garcia and Ashton. That should earn it a mention alone! Much more to come as soon as I can get a stick! HONORABLE MENTION: PADRON 1964 ANNIVERSARY NO. 4 I decided to give this an honorable mention because to be honest the No. 4 isn’t even out yet, however Padron is a name of high quality and I would easily put my full faith in any Padron Anniversary Series Cigar. I just know you’re going to love it!

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

THE SUITE LIFE

GURKHA GRAND RESERVE

BY GARY ARMIDA

...They MUST

Photography by Bill Menzel

PINSTRIPES

Be Jealous. With over a dozen different publications fighting to represent the largest borough outside of Manhattan, we've heard our share of trash-talk.

Robinson Cano is the Yankees’ Most Important Player

But only one can be the heart and soul. The beginning and the end. The connection to the past and the introduction to the future. So wash that Newspaper ink off of your fingers and be forewarned stepping into our world may cause a great hair style, the desire to eat at the best restaurants, or the sheer urge for Tiger's Blood.

Not too long ago, Robinson Cano was being groomed to be the latest in a long line of young overhyped Yankees prospects to be traded for an All-Star that a small market team could not afford. These days, you can count Cano among the best homegrown players in team history, and perhaps the most important player on the entire roster. Yes, we are fully aware of the magnitude of that statement. After all, he shares the infield with Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez – both definite Hall of Famers – and Mark Teixeira, someone who could reach Cooperstown. He is on the same team with the greatest closer in Major League Baseball history, Mariano Rivera. There are stars such as CC Sabathia and Curtis Granderson. It is easy to get lost, especially with two teams making headlines for many reasons that extend beyond the field.

It isn't easy being the real King of Queens. But we’ve worked hard to get here.

For the Yankees, they entered the 2012 season with 15 of the 25 players on the Major League roster 30 years old or older. Their core of Jeter, Teixeira, Rodriguez and Granderson are 38, 32, 36, and 31 years old respectively. In the cases of Jeter, Teixeira, and Rodriguez, each has shown varying degrees of decline. Jeter has had a nice rebirth since the second half of last season, but he isn’t the same player he once was.

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It is inevitable for any team that has collected an all-star lineup. Retaining superstars requires long term deals. Those long term deals end with declining production, leaving a team to overpay for production long since gone. The Yankees don't have to worry financially; they are one of the few teams that can withstand the bloated payroll on

the backend of careers. But, just like every other team, it impacts them on the field. 2010 saw Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Jorge Posada all post the worst seasons of their Major League careers. 2011 saw Jeter rebound, but Teixeira and Rodriguez posted even worse seasons. While 2012 does have promise for each, the reality is that the Yankees' true offensive core is in decline. The decline isn't so severe that it will impact the 2012 season in terms of fighting for the playoffs, but it does put the emphasis on the one player who can legitimately lay claim to the title of “The best player in New York”. The Yankees do have issues with their rotation, but it is Robinson Cano who is the best and most important player in New York. Jeter has started 2012 off just like he ended 2011. He already has 4 home runs and looks like the player he was during his prime. But, injuries and the inevitable slumps could temper this great start. Thirty-eight year old shortstops don’t usually make it through a whole season. Mark Teixeira turned in CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

BY STEPHEN HANKS

Photography by Bill Menzel

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

Since 2007, Rodriguez's batting average has declined from .314 to last season's .276. He hasn't topped 30 doubles since 2007 and the man who had six consecutive seasons of 40 or more homeruns, hasn't hit more than 30 in the last three seasons. Rodriguez is still a productive player, but his production has declined from immortal, the type the Yankees paid for, to possibly just average, the type the Yankees can only hope to get until 2017. Because of his hip surgery, Rodriguez hasn't played more than 138 games in any of his last four seasons, has lost most of his range in the field, and is running laboriously on the base paths. He is no longer the most dangerous hitter on the team or someone the Yankees can count on every day.

It is now Robinson Cano's turn. It seems like ages ago when there was thought that the Yankees should trade Robinson Cano because of a poor work ethic, his poor attitude on the field, and his terrible season at the plate. It was only four seasons ago when he hit .271/.305/.410 with 14 homeruns, 72 RBI, and just 26 walks. At the time, Cano was a rising star who seemingly took for granted his place on the team. Joe Girardi finally benched him for a game late in the season, but the message seemed to get to Cano. Brian Cashman wisely held on to Cano, but nothing was etched in stone heading into 2009. Cano rewarded Cashman and Girardi's faith by showing up with a new found work ethic and dedication to the craft, turning hours spent in the offseason with hitting coach Kevin Long into results. He hit .320/.352/.520 with 48 doubles, 25 homeruns, and 85 RBI, mostly in the lower half of the lineup. He walked just 30 times, but Cano seemed to have a new discipline.

TOM SEAVER KS 19 & 10 IN A ROW

The 2012 Yankees need Robinson Cano to continue his upward trend. After his poor 2008, which looks to be a blip more than a danger sign, Cano has overtaken Chase Utley as the best second baseman in the game. Now, he's the best player on the Yankees. For the Yankees to be able to equal their run production from last season, Cano will have to take another step considering the rest of the core projects to perform a bit worse.

Editor’s Note: I read the following piece on one of our favorite sites, MetsMerizedOnline.com, and enjoyed it so much, convinced them to let us publish it on our pages and share it with our readers. Enjoy! – MH

There are many indications that show that it is a realistic possibility that Cano hasn't hit his peak. Without looking at statistics, his age and his dedication are in his favor. Yankee Stadium is a favorable environment for the left handed hitter. Statistically, he has improved in several key areas. His walk rate has increased in each of the past three seasons. His strikeout rate has remained consistent throughout. He saw a career high 2,414 pitches in 2010, further demonstrating his patience. The lone remaining question is whether or not the patience will remain. His walk rate doubled to 8.6 percent in 2010, but fell to 5.6 percent in 2011. There is a danger of him regressing with his patience. If he can maintain or increase his walk rate even more, he will become a more productive hitter. With Cano in his deserved third spot, or in the cleanup spot in the batting order, he will need that discipline.

There is a mantle above an unused fireplace in my home office that I’ve turned into a little shrine to my sports idol Tom Seaver. It’s nothing crazy, just a bunch of old action photos, vintage baseball cards, magazine covers, bobble head dolls (I hope to add a new one on another Seaver Bobble Head Doll day on April 22nd), figurines depicting that classic Seaver right-knee scraping the mound motion, even an empty bottle of Tom Seaver recent vintage wine. But among all these treasures, there is one that bears special significance during April: the scorecard I recorded at Shea Stadium on April 22, 1970, the day the man I consider the greatest right-handed pitcher of all time (Roger Clemens forfeited that title the day he picked up a syringe) struck out 19 San Diego Padres, including the LAST 10 IN A ROW.

There are names bigger than Cano. That's because Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Mark Teixeira have already put together impressive resumes. Cano is still in his prime and just four years removed from his bottom season. But, his time has arrived. Cano is the star on the team full of Hall of Famers. He is now their most important player. Without Cano, the Yankees don't make the playoffs given the injury risk to each aging veteran and the expected regression from most of the roster. Even if the veterans stay healthy, each will require at least one day per week off. The constant is the second baseman. With a core that won't be getting better, it is up to Robinson Cano to make up the difference. He is the only one left with any tangible, difference making upside.

SIMPLY AMAZIN’

But, the real regression came from Alex Rodriguez. 2010 was proof that “all” Rodriguez needed to do was to hit well during the playoffs and win a title in pinstripes. Long gone were the days of getting booed during his first at bat on Opening Day. That World Series title helped put Rodriguez in the background for the first time in his career. Rodriguez was permitted to be just one of 25 men as he played his season without controversy or negative reaction. It is an odd twist of irony that Rodriguez would be allowed to go through a season during which he showed the biggest decline of his career without any backlash. The backlash was felt more last season as the veteran was limited to just 99 games and slugged just .461, his worst mark since he was 19 years old.

He was an MVP candidate heading into the 2010 season and wound up finishing third. He hit .319/.381/.534 with 41 doubles, 29 homeruns, and 109 RBI. He had his second consecutive 200 hit season and he walked a career high 59 times. Even more impressively, Cano hit fifth for most of the season, taking away the notion that he couldn't hit with runners in scoring position. Then, Cano did something everyone was waiting for: he produced in the playoffs. He hit .333/.333/.500 in the ALDS, but it was the during the ALCS that Cano assumed the role of Yankees' most feared hitter. In 23 at bats, Cano scored 5 runs, drove in another 5, and hit 4 homeruns. In many ways, 2011 was a better season as Cano was now the man to get out in the Yankees lineup. Yet, he still produced, hitting .302/.349/.533 with 46 doubles, 7 triples, 28 homeruns, and 118 RBI. For the second consecutive season, Cano produced in the playoffs, netting 7 hits in 22 at bats, including 2 doubles, 2 homeruns, and 9 RBI. Manager Joe Girardi finally made the inevitable switch; he batted Cano third, the spot reserved for the franchise’s best hitters. 2011’s success came down to the pitching staff, a big season from Curtis Granderson, and the steady excellence of the best second baseman in Major League Baseball.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 42 years since that glorious afternoon, but not hard to believe how I ended up being an eyewitness to baseball history. Tom Seaver had been my baseball hero from the day he started his first game for the Mets in 1967, although I became aware of him during his one season pitching for the Jacksonville Suns in 1966. At that point, I was a 10 1/2-year old Mets fanatic desperate for a young star and baseball role model to cling to. I attended my first Mets’ game at the Polo Grounds in 1963, watched the entire 10-hour epic double-header, including the 23-inning second game, against the Giants in 1964, and spent my early childhood thinking my favorite team would never get out of last place. By mid-1966, my burgeoning adolescent hormones were contributing to take my Mets obsession to a fever pitch. And like all Mets fans who didn’t think the losing was cute anymore, I was hoping for a savior to finally change our fortunes. So I started checking The Sporting News, which in those days was considered the “Bible of Baseball” and printed every major league and Triple-A box score from the proceeding week, in addition to all the league stats. I started noticing there was a 21-year-old named Tom Seaver on the Jacksonville pitching staff who was actually winning as many games as he lost. Even more impressively, he was striking out an average of eight per game, wasn’t walking a lot of guys, and had a great hits-to-

innings pitched ratio. At that point, very few Mets fans knew about the bizarre circumstances that made Seaver a Met–the voiding of his contract with the Braves while he was still at USC, and the Mets subsequently being selected out of a hat in a lottery staged by Commissioner William Eckert. All I cared about was that we might finally be developing some semblance of a major league pitcher and I followed Seaver’s minorleague starts religiously throughout the summer. Although it was clear that Seaver was the Mets’ best pitcher going into the 1967 season, he started Game 2 against the Pirates, struck out 8 in 5.1 innings and got a no-decision. By his next start, a 6-1 win over the Cubs, this hard-throwing righthander with the picture-perfect delivery was my favorite player and probably the favorite of every other Mets fan. For me, Tom cemented his hero status on May 17, 1967. That year and until 1971, the Mets games on radio were carried on WJRZ-AM with a pre- and postgame show hosted by an intelligent and very congenial man named Bob Brown, who staged various fan contests. I sent in a bunch of postcards hoping to get selected for a call and before the game against the Braves that May night, my phone rang. It was Bob Brown offering me a chance to win a baseball glove if I could pick three Mets to get a total of four hits in the game at Fulton County Stadium. So naturally I picked the Mets’ three hottest hitters at that point–Tommy Davis, Ed Kranepool and Jerry Buchek. Going into the ninth inning, Davis and Kranepool had combined for three hits (Buchek was shutout) but Davis came through for me with a single and I won a Bobby Shantz glove. You may think this whole story has been a digression, but the kicker is this: Tom Seaver went three for three that night, with two RBI, a walk and a stolen base. The best athlete on the team was a rookie pitcher. Anyway, you know what happened over the next couple of years. Seaver wins 16 games in both ’67 and ’68 (with 32 complete games combined) and then leads the Mets to the Promised Land in 1969 with 25 victories, including the near-perfect game against the Cubs. After celebrating my team’s improbable World Championship, which I watched from my home in the South Bronx not far from Yankee Stadium, my family moved CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

the worst season of his professional life, but that can be explained by the fact that he played hurt for the majority of the season. Still, at 32 years old, Teixeira will have to prove that he isn’t turning into Jason Giambi and that he is capable of coming back from his historically poor Aprils.

Photography by Bill Menzel

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 Scorecards courtesy of S. Hanks

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

But I didn’t want to attend just any games. I wanted to see EVERY game Tom Seaver pitched at Shea Stadium (that wasn’t on a school night, of course) and the Mets’ five-man rotation made it pretty easy to figure out when Tom Terrific was going to be on the hill. Seaver was on a five-day cycle even when there were off days. So I knew that after opening day on April 7, Tom would pitch on the 12th, 17th and 22nd, the latter a Wednesday afternoon game I could attend because it would be the second day of Passover and public schools would be closed. I really splurged for that one and for six bucks got tickets for my brother and me in the first row of the loge (second deck) behind home plate.

After settling into our seats on a beautiful spring day (I don’t recall it being chilly), Tom proceeded to strike out two in the first inning. The way the sound of the Seaver fastball was reverberating after hitting Jerry Grote’s mitt only confirmed it was going to a long day for the Padres. Ken Boswell’s double off some guy named Mike Corkins drove in Bud Harrelson (who had singled), giving the Mets a firstinning lead. But the Pods’ cleanup hitter and leftfielder Al Ferrara led off the second inning with a home run to tie it (I think it scraped the back of the fence on the way down) until we got

the lead back in the third on a Bud Harrelson triple that just missed going out. Given the Mets’ offense, which could disappear for innings or days at a time, I figured that run would have to hold up if Tom was to get a W. (I can’t tell you how many times during Seaver’s Mets career I sweated out a game because of lack of run support. My mother once threatened to start giving me sedatives whenever Tom pitched because I’d pace around the TV room and scream at the set imploring the Mets to score a freaking run.) By the top of the 6th inning, Tom had yielded just one other hit and had nine strikeouts. Of course the score was still 2-1 so the ace would really have to bear down. After a popup and a fly out, Tom struck out Ferrara for his 10th K of the game. I don’t think I was aware of it at the time–and I could be corrected if I’m wrong–but by the top of the 7th, afternoon shadows were starting to creep over home plate while the sun was still shining over the rest of Shea. This would not be good for a Padres lineup that was already flailing at Seaver’s fastball, which that day looked and sounded like it was in the upper 90s–and we didn’t need a radar gun to tell us that. At this point in the game, I was totally transfixed on the man on the hill, picking up every nuance of that motion on the mound. As a Babe Ruth League pitcher, I was already mimicking Seaver’s delivery, which was never better described than by Roger Angell in The New Yorker after Tom was traded on June 15, 1977 (still one of the worst days of my life): “One of the images I have before me now is that of Tom Seaver pitching; the motionless assessing pause on the hill while the signal is delivered, the easy, rocking shift of weight onto the back leg, the upraised arms, and then the left shoulder coming forward as the whole body drives forward and drops suddenly downward–down so low that the right knee scrapes the sloping dirt of the mound–in an immense thrusting stride, and the right arm coming over blurrily and still flailing, even as the ball, the famous fastball, flashes across the pate, chest-high on the batter and already past his low, late swing.” In the top of the 7th, Seaver struck out Nate Colbert, Dave Campbell and Jerry Morales, the latter two looking. While that was impressive, none of the 14,000 of us cheering madly at every strike thought it out of the ordinary for

our Tom and when he led off the bottom of the 7th, he got the obligatory polite ovation. Of course if this game had been played in 2010 instead of 1970, Gary Matthews, Jr. would have been pinch-hitting because, hey, you need to get another run and our ace might be hitting his pitch count to boot. Thankfully, Gil Hodges wouldn’t think of pulling his best arm and when Bob Barton, and pinch hitters Ramon Webster and Ivan Murrell all K’d in the 8th (the latter two swinging), there wasn’t a soul in Shea who thought we weren’t watching history, let alone believe the Padres would actually hit another pitch. As Tom took the mound for the top of the 9th, the buzz in the park was palpable and my heart was palpitating. Van Kelly led off the ninth and when he struck out swinging for the 8th strikeout in a row, the crowd sounded like 40,000. With every strike that whizzed by a Padre hitter I felt as if I was being levitated out of my seat. I don’t have a pitch chart of the game (don’t know if there is one available), but it seemed as if every pitch in those last two innings were strikes and the crowd roared louder with every one. Cito Gaston struck out looking for nine in a row and 18 for the game. One more strikeout and Tom Seaver would set a new record of 10 Ks in a row and match Steve Carlton’s 19-strikeout game (which he lost thanks to those two Ron Swoboda home runs) against us the year before. With all the fans up on their feet and screaming themselves hoarse, Tom fittingly blew away Ferrara for the record-breaking K. By this point I was jumping up and down so wildly I almost fell over the loge railing. I carried that emotional high all the way to 7 train and for the entire trip back to the Bronx. It is still the greatest pitching performance I’ve ever seen live (and I saw a couple of Seaver one-hitters and his 300th win at Yankee Stadium). Again, CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

that December to the spanking new Co-Op City middle class housing project in the Northeast Bronx. Now 14, I was old enough to get a job delivering the Daily News in my 33-story building and the gig earned me about $30 to $40 a week, a fortune for a kid that age at that time. My plan for spending my newfound wealth? Go to as many games of the defending champs as possible, especially considering you could sit in the upper deck behind home plate for a buck and a half.

Rolling the Dice with

Photography courtesy of Strat-O-Matic

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best fantasy team ever!

The game came with the complete team sets for the entire 1975 season, and I anxiously anticipated trying to replay the season to see what results I could manage. Over the next 10 years a lot changed, but not everything. I was always anticipating the coming of February when the next season’s cards would come out. They were based on the prior seasons statistics, and I’d spend hours reviewing them, arguing with the ratings, and recreating the season. Flash forward twenty-five years to 2012, and while surfing on Ebay one day I happen to stumble on a reproduction of the 1963 Mets Strat-OMatic team set (as well as the 1965, 2004, and 2007 seasons). Since I’m in the process of teaching my 8-year old son and 9-year old daughter how to keep score at a baseball game, I figured it would be fun to add some old time teams to my collection to use as a teaching aid. Now, for those who have never played “Strat”, here are a few things that might help you better understand the game. Each player is given a card that breaks out the player’s season based on results of the year in question. You roll the three dice and depending on the outcome look at either the pitchers or the hitters card. Fielding range is rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being a Gold Glover and 5 being slightly more helpful defensively that a cardboard cutout. For instance, Doug Flynn was a 1 at second base and while there were more 5’s than 1’s I’m not going to add insult to injury (in some cases quite literally) by naming them here. Throwing arms were rated anywhere from a Johnny Bench-like (-5) to those who were more armless than Venus De Milo at (+3). Running is base on a 1-20 scale, which allows you as the manager, in certain situations, to decide if you want to go from first to third or score from second base. Mookie Wilson was one of those top end runners, given a 1-17 rating, while a 1980’s era Rusty Staub was at a 1-8 range. The game sets initially came with little cards to give you base running results, but later on moved to a 20-sided die. Stealing was rated separately as well, with AA being the highest rating (excepting for Rickey Henderson’s AAA rating the year he stole 130 bases) and E being an easy out at second.

When I received my cards I went through them and was stunned by a few things, particularly with the 1963 and 1965 sets. One thing that befuddled me was how many players I had never heard of before. I have been watching the Mets since 1967, as a three year old, and after 45 years of Ralph Kiner’s stories I thought in my lifetime I had heard of every Met player to ever suit up. I think some of these players cards I found would even make Ralph go “Who?” The second thing that surprised me was, well, how lacking these teams were in every facet of the game. Usually bad teams have a few guys who are good players, and guys who excel in one or two of the multiple skills required to play major league ball. Like the speedster with solid defense who could strike out swinging at a tee, or the power hitter who can clobber a homer but has butterfingers. You get the idea. So with that said let’s take a look back at the 1963 New York Mets team. First off, the team had no speed, none, zilch, zero, nada. Of the 20 position players included only Rod Kanehl managed a B rating, while four were rated C’s, five were rated D’s, and a whopping nine were rated E’s. Power was evidently not their strong suit either. No Mets player hit more than 20 home runs in 1963, with only five players hitting more than 10. Duke Snider popped 14 for the club, but his speed was so diminished that he was a 4-rated outfielder in the corners and a 5 in centerfield. Jim Hickman’s 17 homers led the team as he spread his time between the outfield, at an average 3-rating defense, and third base (a chair like 5 rating). Defensively, the best player on the squad was the famously bi-polar centerfielder Jimmy Piersall, who was a 2 rated centerfielder with a +1 arm. Catcher Norm Sherry was also a 2-rated catcher, but hit only .136, so he was of limited value as well. Pitching on this hapless squad did not fair all that much better. Al Jackson (237 IP, 13-17, 3.96) and Roger Craig (236 IP, 5-22, 3.78) gave valiant efforts; while there were some guys whose names we would hear in various contexts over the next 40+ years of baseball history in swingmen Larry Bearnarth, Galen Cisco and Tracy Stallard. Others yet like Carl Willey and Jay Hook would be immortalized by Ralph Kiner and old-timers games of years gone by. CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

B E C A U S E T H E R E ' S N O FA N L I K E A B A S E B A L L FA N . . .

I was in sixth grade in 1976 when I discovered Strat-O-Matic Baseball. A classmate brought the game into play during one of our half days at the end of the school year, and from the moment I played the game I was hooked. It didn’t take long before I was ordering my own game from an ad I found in a sports magazine, and waiting anxiously for delivery.

COLLECTOR’S CORNER

BY CHIP ARMONAITIS

BY GEORGE KURTZ

CHEAT SHEET

Photography by Bill Menzel

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL â&#x20AC;˘ EARLY SEASON 2012

Today we are going to start a debate. We are going to talk about fantasy players on the New York Yankees and New York Mets. Rather than just talk about different players and why they are fantasy worthy, we are going to rank Yankee and Met players in the order of which they should be drafted in a 5X5 rotisserie league. These rankings are from this point forward, so what players might have done during the first two months of the season doesn't really mean all that much, we only care about what they will do over the next four months. This is also for a re-draft league, so players who are injured (Mariano Rivera) probably won't make the rankings, neither will top minor leaguers (Manny Banuelos, Zack Wheeler), unless I thought they would contribute mightily this season. Let the debates begin. Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees

Mark Teixeira, 1B, Yankees

RA Dickey, SP, Mets

Shouldn't be much surprise that Cano is 1st. Even when you include all of the players in the majors, Cano is generally considered to be a top eight pick. Not many 2B can hit 30+ HRs, hit over .300, and drive in over 100 runs. He is off to a slow start however, as is most of the Yankee hitters with the exception of Granderson.

Tex got off to a slow start this season, no surprise, as he was dealing with a respiratory infection since the first week of the season that he just couldn't seem to get rid of. Once the Yankees have him a few days off in a row Tex started to hit again and he's back on pace for 30+ HRs along with his usual run production.

Curtis Granderson, OF, Yankees

CC Sabathia, SP, Yankees

I don't want to call Dickey the surprise of the season because he was pretty good last year to, but he's on a ridiculous run right now. Dickey is 7-1, 3.06 ERA, 1.098 WHIP, with almost a K per inning. RA has won three straight starts and only given up one run in 23.1 IP during those starts. He's a must start right now and could be a candidate to start the All-Star game for the National League.

Granderson is proving that 2011 was no fluke as he already has 17 home runs this season. The run production is a bit of a concern as only 33 RBIs have come along with those bombs, but still one has to figure that will come around. Only two SBs however could be a concern as he and the Yankees just aren't running at all.

There is really not much to be said about CC that you don't already know. He's the Yankees ace. True he may not be a great pitcher like Detroit's Justin Verlander but all he does is pitch a boatload of innings and win games for the Yankees. He's about as reliable as they come.

David Wright, 3B, Mets

I toyed with the idea of dropping ARod a few more slots as I think we are seeing the beginning of the end for ARod. He just doesn't have the power anymore that he used to. We can all speculate as to why (steroids, injuries) but in the end the only thing that matters are his final numbers, and right now he's looking like a glorified singles hitter who might hit 20+ bombs.

I'm a Wright fan and am very happy to see him getting off to this kind of start. To put it nicely he is the face of the franchise. He's not going to hit .400 and never was but he's a dangerous offensive weapon who looks like his old self at the plate. With all the injuries at the hot corner this season it's good to see David in the lineup each and every game.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees

Johan Santana, SP, Mets Santana has been really good this year regardless of the fact that he pitched a no-hitter Friday night (congrats to him and the Mets). Sure his record may not indicate it (3-2), but that's because of a lack of run production, not because of his pitching. The big question hovering over Santana is how his shoulder will react to throwing a career high 134 pitches during the no-hitter. Rafael Soriano, RP, Yankees I'm far from a Soriano lover, but he looks like he's going to remain the closer for the Yankees even when David Robertson returns from the disabled list (mid-June). Yankees may not be the team we thought they would be this season, but will still have plenty of save opportunities. CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

Farewell to...

THEKID

It was the hardest trade he would ever make, recalled Frank Cashen, the architect of the New York Mets’ most successful era of existence. But getting Gary Carter was worth it. "As easy as the trade for (Keith) Hernandez was, the trade for Gary Carter was much, much, much, much more difficult," Cashen told Newsday’s Steve Marcus. "It took about 10 telephone calls and a couple of face-toface meetings and was done over a period of a couple of months before I could finalize the deal. He [Expos GM John McHale] didn't want to do it. I thought the possibility of getting him was slim and none. We needed a hitter and a catcher and he fit the bill completely. I hung in there for a long time, much longer than you do for an ordinary kind of trade." It was an extraordinary trade for an extraordinary player who would prove to be crucial to the team’s 1986 World Series championship. He was the perfect guy at the perfect time. A “Captain America” type personality, a Gold Glove defensive catcher, and a MVP-caliber power hitter all rolled into one. It’s hard to remember a more exciting time to be a Mets fan. Following two consecutive Rookie of the Year campaigns by Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden and an unlooked-for 90-win season by Davey Johnson’s 1984 club, the Flushing Faithful were thinking World Series for the first time in a long time. And true to form, the Kid delivered the goods immediately Carter’s Opening Day game-winning home run off of St. Louis reliever Neil Allen, a former Mets All-Star who had been traded for Hernandez two years earlier, raised the stakes at Shea Stadium to epic proportions. The drama of the blast (we didn’t call them walk-offs just yet), was matched by the upraised fist and the first of many passionate curtain calls “Kid” would be asked to grant for the rest of his tenure as a Met. No one did a curtain call quite like Gary Carter. Pointing to the right side of the Shea Stadium crowd, then to the left, punctuated by a “YES!” fist pump, it made the fans love him even more. It also drove opponents nuts. Mike Lupica, the award-winning sportswriter from the NY Daily News, didn’t really understand the hate back in 1986, especially for Carter, “Gary Carter? Sure. Carter is a ham. He always has been. It`s his nature, he can’t help himself. Home runs send him into this high-five frenzy. This is news? This is bush? Carter waited a whole career to get a stage like Shea. He`s supposed to be Ted Williams all of a sudden?”

“I'm aware of the fine nucleus the Mets have. They just missed winning the pennant last season, and I feel I can do my part to help them win a championship.” – Gary Carter, speaking to reporters after the December 1984 trade that sent him from the Montreal Expos to the NY Mets.

His best year for the Mets would be that 1985 season, but while the Mets would win 98 games, they would lose a tightly-contested NL East race to the Cardinals. Carter would be an All-Star from 85-88, but injuries and the team’s dependency on both his cleanup bat and handling of the pitching staff, would wear on his body. It was the last days of baseball before PEDs, and only through sheer will was Carter able to battle through. He was already 31 when he donned the blue and orange, so a long stint in New York was never in the offing. His knees had already been surgically repaired twice before coming to Gotham, and would be worked on three more times before he left. But it always was the quality of his Mets career that is remembered, not the quantity. Carter would touch a lot of lives during his career, including my own. In the summer of 1986, it became apparent that my sister Nicole would need a kidney transplant. My dad – a huge Cary Carter fan dating back to his Expos days – was the donor, and when the Mets were taking on the Astros in the NLCS, we spent most of that postseason watching the games on hospital TVs. After the World Series, in which Carter did more

than his share, my father wrote a letter to Gary telling him about our family. Not long after, both my dad and my sister received autographed pictures of Carter with personal messages attached, as well as an invitation for my dad, mom and sister to meet Gary at Shea Stadium. They did so during the 1987 season, and my family could not have been more touched by the personal way the All-Star catcher spoke with my sister. We had loved Jerry Grote and John Stearns in our house, and that guy Piazza surely was appreciated, but the Kid was the king. He was reduced to a shadow of his former self in the 1989 season, hitting just .183 in 50 games for the Mets. He would spend his last three seasons as a decent backup catcher for the Giants (1990) and Dodgers (1991) before ending back with the Expos in 1993, where he finally said goodbye to his playing career. Carter had never won a World Series for the Expos, but the organization – despite whatever previous animosity had existed – not only retired Carter’s number, but threw him a big party to do so. I caught up with Gary in 2001, when I was covering the first-ever season of the Brooklyn Cyclones. Carter had spent the last few seasons with the Mets as a roving catching instructor, and was in Brooklyn that week working with the Cyclones catchers. After interviewing him for a piece I was preparing about Brett Kay, the young Cyclones catcher, he and I had a few minutes to chat. In what turned into an almost 45-minute conversation, I explained who I was, and thanked him for his kindness to my family. Instead of saying “Oh I remember” or some other phony platitude, he simply asked how my dad and sister (after a second transplant, this time from my brother), were doing. When I told him that my dad was great and my sister was doing even better, he grabbed me by the shoulders. “That is amazing,” Carter said. “God bless your family, and God bless your sister.” Later that year, Gary would be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. However, he was still waiting for his well-deserved induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame when it was announced in the winter of 2002 that he was 129 votes shy of getting into Cooperstown. It would mark his fifth straight year of eligibility, and with the declining health of his then-84 year old father Jim, Carter was – rightfully so – starting to get a little exasperated. Especially when his wife had planned a huge surprise party for what most people predicted would be the year he would be inducted. Yes, he deserved the honor, but he wanted his father there to see it happen. Jim Carter lost his wife to leukemia when Gary was just 12 years old, a devastating loss for both of them. Gary would raise millions of dollars during and after his baseball career to fight the disease as a tribute to his mom and his burning desire to have his dad at his induction ceremony was foremost in his mind. To be waiting this long, many surmised (including this writer, who wrote a column wondering that same thing for the Associated Press that year), seemed unfair. Imagine what it felt like for Carter, who was watching his then-84 year old father’s health declining before his eyes, trying to be democratic about the lack of support from West Coast writers who failed to vote for Carter time and time again. The same people who voted Carlton Fisk into the HOF, first ballot no less, didn’t see fit to put Carter in the same class. Consider this, Carter batted .262 with 324 homers and 1,225 RBIs, while Fisk batted .269 with 376 and 1,330 in 203 more games. Carter was an 11-time All-Star, won three Gold Gloves and one World Series ring while Fisk was a 10-time All-Star, won one Gold Glove and no rings.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

GOING NINE

BY MARK C. HEALEY

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 Illustration courtesy of John Pennisi

A year later, Carter did get in but while his father would live to hear the news, he didn’t last long enough to see Carter inducted. It was a crushing blow for Carter. But as he had always done before, he grinned, beared it, and moved on with his life. He was ready, he felt, to do something special. In 2004, Carter angered some folks when he honestly answered some questions about Art Howe’s job status as Mets manager, saying he would be interested in the job if it was offered. The person who asked the question knew Art Howe was still the Mets manager, though it was pretty clear that he was a goner. So, when Carter, in his always honest fashion, said what was on his mind, he was vilified. Lying, it would seem, is the preferred stance in these matters. That fact remained that Howe was a dead man walking and everyone in New York knew it. It was time for a radical shift in philosophy. In 2004, the entire baseball operations department, enabled and divided by ownership, was an absolute mess. Fred Wilpon, now the principal owner, was never comfortable with the hiring of Jim Duquette as the GM. Duquette, one of the best liked people in baseball, wasn’t a “star” in the elder Wilpon’s eyes. The son, Jeff Wilpon, had always championed Duquette as the person who had the combination of great baseball relationships and a healthy respect for statistical analysis (it was Duquette that pushed for the Mets to hire Rick Peterson and make him the highest paid pitching coach in baseball). Fred had tried to get Omar Minaya, once a trusted assistant to the now-deposed Steve Phillips, to share the GM duties with Duquette, an arrangement that both rejected. So instead, to “help” his “untested” GM, Fred Wilpon went to his old pal and scouting legend Al Goldis to serve as a “superscout” and Assistant GM. The public meltdown of Duquette’s choice as Assistant GM, Bill Singer (Singer was fired after making ethnic slurs and mimicking Dodgers assistant GM Kim Ng at a baseball function in the off-season), was bad enough but his replacement, another legend Bill Livesey (the man who helped build the Yankees farm system under Gene Michael), was the man who drafted Victor Zambrano for the Tampa Bay Rays. If you’re a Mets fan, you know that the June 30th deadline deal that sent Scott Kazmir to the Rays for Zambrano is still known as “Black Friday”. It would prove to be the biggest backlash of criticism of the Mets in years, and it had gotten considerably worse since Wilpon had taken over sole ownership of the club in 2002. It would be the third straight season of below .500 baseball, despite the NL’s highest payroll. In what was already a dysfunctional organization, chaos reigned supreme and it was ownership’s fault. Accountability was not (and still isn’t) a Wilpon strong point, but everyone knew – especially COO Jeff Wilpon – that

hiring Art Howe Howe in in the the first first place place was wasan a awful awful mistake. mistake. He was aloof from his players, ill-equipped to handle the New York media, and lacked the kind of personality that would have allowed for the fans to support him despite his lack of tactical skills. Carter as Mets manager made sense to a lot of people, even after his “insult” to Howe, including former Mets pitcher, minor league coach and now broadcaster, Bob Ojeda. From the Daily News: “(Ojeda) was aware that Carter was quoted last week as saying he'd like to manage the Mets, a faux pas that likely will hurt his cause … (but) he believes that Carter would be an ideal fit, even though he has no managerial experience. "I don't believe it takes a tremendous amount of experience when you played the game at that level for 20 years, especially as a catcher," Ojeda said. "I really think Gary could pull it off. And he has the stature the Mets need right now. I've seen him get ticked off and step up and tell people what he thinks, They need leadership over there because right now the team on the field is a reflection of the front office - there's no strong or clear leadership." There were those in the Mets front office that agreed, and told Gary to “sit tight, and we’ll get something done soon.” Unfortunately for Carter, the sudden hiring (and demotion of Duquette) of Minaya was the worst thing that could happen to his major-league managerial aspirations. For one, like Fred Wilpon and his old boss Phillips, Minaya wasn’t keen on 1986 Mets. They represented two things that Fred Wilpon and Phillips each despised; Nelson Doubleday for the former and a World Series trophy that had eluded him for the latter. Minaya’s new assistant GM Tony Bernazard (hired away from the Player's Association), wasn’t keen on personnel he couldn’t control. It didn’t take long for Bernazard to alienate much of the organization after his hire but, as he was the right-hand to the apple of Fred Wilpon’s eye, he was going to get most of the incumbent front office exiled anyway. “If Tony didn’t want it to happen, it didn’t happen,” said one former team executive, who spoke with me on condition of anonymity. “Jeff didn’t really care for Omar, he was Fred’s favorite.” It was only a matter of time before Jeff started to take his cues from Tony and for Tony to cultivate the owner’s son for strategic purposes. Even after Minaya’s hiring, many in the organization felt that Carter was still going to be a coach on the new manager’s staff . When that changed, so did his immediate future. Despite spending years as a rover in the minors, and despite being in the Hall of Fame, the Met with a World Series ring earned as a Met wasn’t offered a Mets major league job. Instead, he was offered a job Minaya thought he would refuse; managing the Low-A Gulf Coast League Mets. Make no mistake, and believe little of what you have read elsewhere, but Carter shocked everyone when he took the job. He would win Manager of the Year in 2005, taking the GCL Mets to the championship round. The next year, he would win MOY honors again, this time in the full-season A Florida State League, winning the FSL championship with the St. Lucie Mets. Current Mets left-hander Jonathon Niese pitched for him on both of those clubs. “The one thing Gary stressed to us was team,” Niese told Newsday. “He said individual goals were meaningless. He said the name on the front of the uniform was more important than the name on the back. That's what I'll take from my two years with him." Carter knew that with the Mets having won the NL East in 2006, he wasn’t going to be the Mets manager in 2007. But he also knew that there was something rotten in the state of Denmark. It was no secret that

Jeff Wilpon was furious about the heavily favored Mets’ loss to St. Louis in the NLCS, and blamed Willie Randolph for the loss. To be fair, while the Mets’ offense and bullpen struggled in the seven-game defeat, Randolph made some very strange managerial decisions with both his bullpen and in-game machinations that played a role in the team’s demise. Add in the fact that Randolph and Bernazard despised each other, and an organization that was in complete upheaval, Carter wanted to know where he fit.

So Carter tried to get hired by both the Dodgers and Rockies, but both jobs were given to someone else. Then the 2007 Mets blew a 7 ½ game lead in September and missed the playoffs. If the Mets didn’t get off to a great start in 2008, then Randolph would be gone. So Carter took the manager’s job for the Orange County Flyers in the Californiabased Golden League. He proceeded to win the 2008 championship and the steered the Long Island Ducks to the Atlantic League playoffs.

Carter was told by Bernazard that the organization wanted him to manage the 2007 season in Binghamton. It was a promotion they said, and another step closer to the major leagues. Carter, whose knees had now been through five different procedures, had enough of the minor leagues. He knew all about the promises that had been made to Ken Oberkfell, who had managed several years in the minors for the Mets as well. The former infielder who had won a World Series ring with the Cardinals in 1982 had been a successful minor league manager at several different levels and, like Carter, had won his share of accolades, including a Manager of the Year award, But “Obie” had never even gotten an interview when Minaya decided to hire Randolph. So, when the Mets wouldn’t make any promises that he would be the guy to replace Randolph (and it was when, not if), the time came, he declined the offer. When he said he’d be happy to return to St. Lucie, they informed him that Frank Caccitore had been already given the job.

The Mets were playing uninspired .500 baseball in May of 2008 and Randolph would soon be a goner. Carter took one last shot and called old friend Jay Horwitz to see if he had any shot at getting the job. Then Carter made a mistake he would regret for the rest of his life, he told the whole truth and nothing but the truth during an interview to “The Mike & Murray Show” on Sirius Satellite Radio. He admitted the call to Horwitz and said the Mets could use a person with his experience.

From The New York Times: “How do you not take a promotion if you want to manage in the major leagues?” Minaya said. “We gave him an opportunity and we offered him more money and a more highprofile job and he turned it down. What more could we do?” Carter said that Tony Bernazard, a team vice president, told him there were two reasons the club wanted Carter to go to Binghamton: to follow the players he had coached in Class A and to learn how to use the double switch, a move usually made when relievers enter a game. “I said, ‘Tony, I played 18 years in the major leagues and you’re going to tell me I have to go to Double-A to learn how to do the double switch?’ ” Carter said. “I can do that in my sleep.” Jeff Wilpon will understand, thought Carter, so he contacted the Mets’ COO who had followed around Carter as a teenager. The younger Wilpon suggested Gary look for work elsewhere. So much for loyalty.

He never worked in affiliated baseball again, for telling the damn truth. “I learned that things can be taken out of context,” Carter told reporters when he was hired by the Long Island Ducks. “There was no intention whatsoever to undermine anybody. I was simply asked the question, “would you be interested?” Of course I would be interested in any capacity because that is where my passion is. If it’s not with the Mets, I would like it to be with maybe somebody else.” Hall of Famer Gary Carter, exiled to the independent leagues by a .260 career hitter in Bernazard who had never served as a scout, instructor, coach or manager at any level in the minor or major leagues, believed he had no other recourse than to “campaign” for the job. It wasn’t like Gary had any real shot at the job this time, so to make a big deal about it seemed petty. Yet everyone did. “I’ve always been accommodating and it’s hurt me because I’ve worn my heart on my sleeve,” Carter told the Times during a contentious interview following the hiring of Jerry Manuel. “They throw me under the bus and two weeks later, (Willie’s) fired anyway. Yeah, so I’m the one to blame.” In 2009 Gary Carter would find peace in baseball and combine it with his greatest passion; his family. Palm Beach Atlantic University needed a baseball coach, and with Kimmee Carter serving as the team’s softball coach, it was an easy “yes’ for the Kid. Ray McNulty, writing for the TCPalm.com, couldn’t understand, like many of us, why

Carter was taking a job at a Division 2 college. So this is what it has come to for Gary Carter, the Hall of Fame catcher who managed successfully in the minor leagues but can't seem to get back to the majors – not as a manager, not even as a coach. This, apparently, is the best he can do. And that's as sad as it is ridiculous. "Not even many D-I schools in this nation have a Hall of Fame baseball coach," said Lu Hardin, president of PBAU, where the baseball team compiled a 24-67 record the past two seasons. No D-II school should. But Carter lives in nearby Palm Beach Gardens. His daughter, Kimmy Bloemers, is the school's softball coach. And, at age 55, after 19 major league seasons as a player and six years as a minor league manager, this was another chance to stay in baseball. Maybe his best chance. And that's as sad as it is ridiculous. Perhaps the worst part about the loss of Gary Carter was the Wilpon / Katz ownership not giving Cary Carter a last chance to say goodbye to the fans that loved him. One last chance to thank the man who helped them win their last championship. One last curtain call for the best of the 1986 Mets, the best damn team this franchise has ever had. They chose not to. They chose to posthumously honor him. With a patch and a big sticker on the outfield wall. Gary Carter deserved better.

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

Really?

SIMPLY AMAZIN’: Tom Seaver Ks 19 and 10 in a Row the Terrific One didn’t just strike out 10 in a row; he mowed down the LAST 10 IN A ROW. As you can see above, I dutifully saved my scorecard of that game (and I wasn’t a kid who kept score much, so I must have had a premonition) and all of my handwritten annotations (including the note about Jerry Grote setting a new putout record-20) were added that day. There is one additional scribbling on the Mets side of the scorecard. In early 1983 I was about to launch my own magazine called NEW YORK SPORTS and the Mets gave me the best launch present I could imagine by bringing Seaver back from the Cincinnati Reds that winter. Putting my idol on the cover of my magazine’s premiere issue was a no-brainer and before spring training I hiked out to Shea with a camera crew to shoot Tom Terrific. As I was leaving my house that morning, I thought, “Damn, I’ve got to

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

ask Tom to sign the 19K-game scorecard” and found it in a huge pile of Seaver memorabilia I had been collecting for years. After assuming my best professional editor’s air during the photo session (even pressuring my hero to smile once in a while), I reverted to sheepish fan mode and asked Tom to autograph the scorecard. As he turned my prized possession into even more of a collector’s item, he looked down at the card and said, “Hmmm, that was a pretty good outing.” Indeed. There’s one more postscript. In 1996-97, I was editing an elementary school classroom newspaper and decided to do a feature on the Baseball Hall of Fame. The executives at the Hall took me to lunch at a quaint Cooperstown bistro and we spent a pleasant hour or so talking baseball history. Naturally, Tom Seaver came up in the conversation and I told my story of

COLLECTOR’S CORNER: ROLLING THE DICE WITH GROVER POWELL Then there was Ed Bauta, Don Rowe, and Grover Powell who I had never actually heard of until I got these game cards. The most interesting story of the three undoubtedly belongs to Powell. Grover Powell was a 22-year old left hander whose only year in the majors was that fateful 1963 season. According to my research he also pitched at Penn and was actually kicked off of his college team for being

too difficult to get along with. According to his stats he made four starts, pitched 50 innings, and had a 1-1 record with a 2.70 ERA. This is where things get interesting. He is one of, if not the only player in Mets history to throw a complete game shutout in his first start. After that first start, however, he was struck in the face by a line drive off the bat of future Met Donn Clendenon and was never the same pitcher again, leaving the

CHEAT SHEET: CLEARING THE BASES Nick Swisher, OF, Yankees

[ GOTHAM BASEBALL • EARLY SEASON 2012

Swisher just hasn't been the same hitter since missing a week's worth of games with a leg injury. Swish got off to a fast start and is still a good source of power and run production, but he's also being dropped in the lineup a bit as Raul Ibanez now hits in front of him when there is a right-hander on the mound. Lucas Duda, OF, Mets I'm a Duda fan and believe his numbers are only going to get better as the season goes along. When the weather heats up, so will Lucas. Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees If you look at Jeter's average you're probably thinking to yourself, how can he be so low on this list? It's because once again he is not driving the ball. Sure he's getting his hits, but they are all singles, and he's not stealing any bases. Pretty much makes him a two category player right now. Andy Pettitte, SP, Yankees I still have my doubts as to whether Pettitte will be able to make it through the remainder of the

attending the 1970 pitching masterpiece, mentioning that I still had the scorecard. The Hall curator perked up. “Wow, would you be willing to donate that to the Hall of Fame?” he asked wide-eyed. “Well, what would I get for it,” I responded. “Well, we could give you a lifetime pass to the Hall of Fame.” I’ve been to the Baseball Hall of Fame a few times since that lunch meeting. The scorecard still resides in my own personal Tom Seaver Museum. Stephen Hanks began his career in 1978 as an editor and writer for the late SPORT Magazine, and between 1983-85 published the criticallyacclaimed New York Sports Magazine. He has also been a contributing writer/editor for three coffee table books on baseball history and currently writes for Mets Merized Online. Email: stephenhanks41@gmail.com

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sport for good after only two more starts. One final oddity about the 1963 Mets that I found in that set is that there have been 12 players in major league history listed on Baseball-Reference.com with the first name Duke. Not one, but two of them played for the 1963 Mets in outfielder Edwin “Duke” Snider and outfielder-first baseman Duke Carmel. I swear you could look it up!

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season, but he's looked good so far, even better than what his numbers say. Lefties really can pitcher forever, or in this case, whenever they want to. Brett Gardner, OF, Yankees

season. Would like to see some power from Murphy as 0 HRs and only three SB prevents him from being any higher on this list. Hiroki Kuroda, SP, Yankees:

Gardner is due back from the DL next weekend, and the Yankees could certainly use the speed he brings on the bases and his defense in the outfield. They badly miss both.

Kuroda has looked awful at times but has also looked like he is figuring it out over his last couple of starts. Could easily move up a few spots on this list if he can keep it up and be more consistent.

Frank Francisco, RP, Mets

Ivan Nova, SP, Yankees:

Would probably have Francisco higher on this list if I was positive that he would remain the closer all season. I'm not though, so this is where he sits.

Nova has been puzzling this season. No one expected him to be as good as he was last season where he pretty much won every game he started, but this season he is getting hit around hard even though his K/9 rate is much better than expected.

Raul Ibanez, OF, Yankees So much for spring training being an indicator of how a player will perform during the regular season. Ibanez didn't look like he could hit a beach ball during ST, but has loved the short porch at Yankee Stadium once the regular season got underway. Daniel Murphy, IF, Mets I'm a fan of players that have multiple position eligibility, just comes in handy during the

Ike Davis, 1B, Mets I just can't leave him off this list even though I should. What is wrong with Ike? The ankle injury from last season? The illness (Mountain Valley Fever) he contracted during the off-season? Have to think he turns it around eventually. You can reach me on twitter, @georgekurtz.

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