Two homers today, including a walk-off.
(Yeah, it's sad to when 2 out of 3 over the Astros results in a celebratory post, but it is what it is these days.)
26 August 2012
Yeah, buddy...
(Yeah, it's sad to when 2 out of 3 over the Astros results in a celebratory post, but it is what it is these days.)
20 August 2012
Barry Lyons inducted into Biloxi (Miss.) Sports Hall of Fame
Video via WLOX
Former Mets catcher and 1986 World Champion Barry Lyons was officially inducted into his hometown's Sports Hall of Fame along with 28 other local standouts in a ceremony Sunday evening. Lyons, with whom I've had the pleasure of working in the past, is now the athletics coordinator at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Kroc Center, a 52,000-square-foot recreation, fitness, educational, and arts community center located in Biloxi.
The Kroc Center is one of many around the country built and planned to be built by the Salvation Army with funds donated by Mrs. Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc.
You can read more about the Gulf Coast Kroc Center here and the history and future of Kroc Centers nationwide here.
You can join Barry for a tour of the Biloxi complex below:
03 August 2012
17 July 2012
Post-All-Star swoons aren't just your imagination
So the Mets came out of the All-Star break ice cold. Seems like that happens a lot, huh? Maybe, though, just like the myth of the guy who ends the inning with an awesome defensive play being the first guy up to bat the next half-inning, it's not really so. You just notice it a lot more when it happens and simply don't pay attention the other 8/9s of the time.
I had actually thought to set out exploring the matter over the weekend and roll this post out on Tuesday morning, but just didn't get around to it. Unfortunately, the Mets cooperated and lost again tonight--on a wild pitch after 2 great comeback attempts (my kingdom for a bullpen)--and kept the notion relevant for another day.
Of course the only way to find out for sure if the Mets always suck after the break is to look up the records, which is easy enough thanks to baseball-reference.com . Looking back over the past 10 seasons, we see that the Mets came out of the gate in the figurative second half and:
Lost 3 out of 4 last season.
Lost 6 out of 7 in 2010.
Lost 6 out of 8 in 2009.
Lost 3 out of 5 in 2008.
Actually won 3 out of 4 in both 2007 and 2006.
Lost 2 out of 3 in both 2004 and 2005.
Lost 4 IN A ROW in 2003.
Lost 2 out of 3 in 2002.
Add to all that this season's 0-for-5 thus far, and in the past 11 seasons of baseball, only twice have the Mets gotten off to a good start immediately following the All-Star game. It defies all reason (though I do have a hypothesis I'll share here shortly).
On the bright side, sometimes the Mets do rebound a bit after their initial stumble. In 3 of the 8 "bad start" seasons prior to 2012, the team managed to post a 6-4 or better record over their first 10 games after the break. The 2005 team actually went 5-1 following its 1-2 start. We'll just have to see what the 2012 edition does.
Regardless, it's NOT just in my or your head, and my grumbling about it to Mrs. Sparks every July is not without merit: the Mets do actually suck after the All-Star Game far, far more often than not. Maybe it's karma's way of evening out that spectacular Opening Day record.
.
I had actually thought to set out exploring the matter over the weekend and roll this post out on Tuesday morning, but just didn't get around to it. Unfortunately, the Mets cooperated and lost again tonight--on a wild pitch after 2 great comeback attempts (my kingdom for a bullpen)--and kept the notion relevant for another day.
Of course the only way to find out for sure if the Mets always suck after the break is to look up the records, which is easy enough thanks to baseball-reference.com . Looking back over the past 10 seasons, we see that the Mets came out of the gate in the figurative second half and:
Lost 3 out of 4 last season.
Lost 6 out of 7 in 2010.
Lost 6 out of 8 in 2009.
Lost 3 out of 5 in 2008.
Actually won 3 out of 4 in both 2007 and 2006.
Lost 2 out of 3 in both 2004 and 2005.
Lost 4 IN A ROW in 2003.
Lost 2 out of 3 in 2002.
Add to all that this season's 0-for-5 thus far, and in the past 11 seasons of baseball, only twice have the Mets gotten off to a good start immediately following the All-Star game. It defies all reason (though I do have a hypothesis I'll share here shortly).
On the bright side, sometimes the Mets do rebound a bit after their initial stumble. In 3 of the 8 "bad start" seasons prior to 2012, the team managed to post a 6-4 or better record over their first 10 games after the break. The 2005 team actually went 5-1 following its 1-2 start. We'll just have to see what the 2012 edition does.
Regardless, it's NOT just in my or your head, and my grumbling about it to Mrs. Sparks every July is not without merit: the Mets do actually suck after the All-Star Game far, far more often than not. Maybe it's karma's way of evening out that spectacular Opening Day record.
.
22 June 2012
Broadcast frustration (and how to beat it sometimes)
Before I even get started about tonight, I must express my latest frustration with the MLB television rules. Today, I finally sat down to check my recording of the All-Time Team show, and there was none because it was blacked out as out-of-market programming. I'll never figure this crap out. Mets Weekly? No problem. Kids Clubhouse? Yeah, they'll let me see that. All-Time Team presentation? Nuh-uh. The Braves might get jealous.
Anyway, on to tonight. For some reason, there's no Mets feed on Extra Innings. I have no clue why, as PIX games have been carried for a couple of years now. Whatever the reason, the only TV feed I have is the Yankees broadcast from my9. I thought maybe I could tolerate it with Al Leiter and David Cone in the booth, but the Yankees-centric discussion got old in a hurry.
So as I type this, I'm watching video from my9 and listening to Howie Rose and Josh Lewin on the WFAN audio feed via SirusXM. Ain't technology wonderful sometimes? The only thing kinda annoying is that the audio is just a hair ahead of the video. Were it the other way around, I could just pause the TV for a second and let it catch up, but I can't pause the radio.
Anyway, this setup still beats having to watch Fox's overproduced crap and listening to McCarver and Buck. Speaking of which, I won't be allowed to watch tomorrow's game at all. I get Braves vs. Red Sox, which of course means I'll be listening to Rose and Lewin with the TV off. Can't say I'm too upset about that. Heck, I might be out fishing during the first couple of innings anyway.
Anyway, on to tonight. For some reason, there's no Mets feed on Extra Innings. I have no clue why, as PIX games have been carried for a couple of years now. Whatever the reason, the only TV feed I have is the Yankees broadcast from my9. I thought maybe I could tolerate it with Al Leiter and David Cone in the booth, but the Yankees-centric discussion got old in a hurry.
So as I type this, I'm watching video from my9 and listening to Howie Rose and Josh Lewin on the WFAN audio feed via SirusXM. Ain't technology wonderful sometimes? The only thing kinda annoying is that the audio is just a hair ahead of the video. Were it the other way around, I could just pause the TV for a second and let it catch up, but I can't pause the radio.
Anyway, this setup still beats having to watch Fox's overproduced crap and listening to McCarver and Buck. Speaking of which, I won't be allowed to watch tomorrow's game at all. I get Braves vs. Red Sox, which of course means I'll be listening to Rose and Lewin with the TV off. Can't say I'm too upset about that. Heck, I might be out fishing during the first couple of innings anyway.
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