“From Nails to Thumbtacks,” The Baseball Project
Posted: July 21, 2020 Filed under: 20th Century, 21st Century, Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, Lenny Dykstra, Major League Baseball, MLB, music, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, sports, The Baseball Project, World Series Leave a commentHere’s a good Baseball Project tune to start your Tuesday. This song is all about the rise and fall of Lenny Dykstra, who was considered to be one of the heroes of the 1986 World Series, but has since fallen into so much legal and financial trouble that earlier this year, a court in New York ruled that he is “libel-proof,” meaning his behavior and character are so awful even false statements cannot harm his reputation.
“Ode to the Mets,” The Strokes
Posted: June 19, 2020 Filed under: 21st Century, Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, Julian Casablancas, Major League Baseball, MLB, music, National League, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, sports, The Strokes, World Series 2 CommentsI was a big fan of The Strokes through my time in college and grad school, but I haven’t paid much attention to them in recent years. So my thanks goes out to Jackie, a.k.a. The Baseball Bloggess, for sharing this gem with me!
The lyrics of this song look back at the band’s career and their history in New York City, where they grew up together. The title of the song, of course, references the New York Mets, whom lead singer Julian Casablancas calls the team of his youth. Casablancas wrote the song after the Mets lost Game 7 of the 2016 NL Wild Card to the San Francisco Giants — a loss that exacerbated the frustrations of fans of a team that has not won a World Series since 1986. The band views the name as symbolic, with the Mets representing something that you set your heart on, but that continues to disappoint.
This day in baseball: Nolan Ryan is king of walks
Posted: June 5, 2020 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Early Wynn, history, Houston Astros, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Mets, sports, Steve Carlton 2 CommentsOn June 5, 1981, Astros pitcher Nolan Ryan surpassed Early Wynn as the all-time walk leader with 1,777 when he walked two in his 3-0 victory over the Mets. Of course, Ryan also struck out ten and only gave up five hits in that game.
Ryan would end his 27-year career with 2,795 bases on balls, nearly a thousand more than Steve Carlton, who is currently second on the career list for issuing free passes.
Nolan Ryan (Houston Chronicle)
This day in baseball: Weiss becomes Mets president
Posted: March 14, 2020 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball, Uncategorized | Tags: Baseball, George Weiss, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Mets, New York Yankees, sports 2 CommentsOn March 14, 1961, former Yankees president George Weiss agreed to become the first president of the expansion New York Mets. It is believed that the Mets offered Weiss a five-year deal at $100,000 annually, more than he ever earned during his 14 seasons with the Yankees.
George Weiss (National Baseball Hall of Fame)
This day in baseball: Sandberg becomes baseball’s highest paid player
Posted: March 2, 2020 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Bobby Bonilla, Chicago Cubs, history, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Mets, Ryne Sandberg, sports Leave a commentRyne Sandberg became the highest paid player in baseball when he signed a four-year contract extension worth $28.4 million with the Chicago Cubs on March 2, 1992. The contract eclipsed Bobby Bonilla’s five-year, $29 million contract with the Mets, signed just three months previous. Sandberg never got to enjoy the full sum promised by this contract, however, as he unexpectedly retired during the 1994 season, walking away from nearly $15.8 million of the record deal.
This day in baseball: Nolan Ryan joins the Rangers
Posted: December 7, 2019 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, California Angels, Houston Astros, Houston Colt .45s, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Mets, Nolan Ryan, sports, Texas Rangers, Washington Senators Leave a commentFree agent Nolan Ryan signed with the Texas Rangers on December 7, 1988, making him the first major leaguer to play for all four original expansion teams. (The Rangers organization had played their first 11 seasons as the Senators in Washington, D.C.) Ryan first broke into the big leagues with the Mets in 1966, then went to the Angels in a trade in 1972 before signing with the Astros, who were originally known as the Colt .45s.
Brittanica.com
This day in baseball: MVP Jeter
Posted: October 26, 2019 Filed under: 21st Century, This day in baseball | Tags: All-Star Game, Baseball, Derek Jeter, history, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Mets, New York Yankees, sports, World Series Leave a commentOn October 26, 2000, Derek Jeter was named World Series MVP, making him the first player to win both All-Star Game MVP and World Series MVP in the same season. Jeter hit .409 in the World Series that year, including two doubles, a triple, and a couple of home runs to help the Yankees win four games to one over the New York Mets.
Wikimedia Commons
Quote of the day
Posted: October 4, 2019 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Jimmy Breslin, life, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Mets, quotes, sports Leave a commentThe Mets lose an awful lot?
Listen, mister. Think a little bit.
When was the last time you won anything out of life?
~Jimmy Breslin
Wikipedia
Quote of the day
Posted: April 29, 2019 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Mets, quotes, sports, Tom Seaver Leave a commentA good professional athlete must have the love of a little boy. And the good players feel the kind of love for the game that they did when they were Little Leaguers.
~Tom Seaver
Wikimedia Commons
“When My Buckner Moment Comes,” by Dan Bern
Posted: April 23, 2019 Filed under: 20th Century, Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, Bill Buckner, Boston Red Sox, Dan Bern, Major League Baseball, MLB, music, New York Mets, sports 6 CommentsThis song is amusing in a way that almost hits too close to home. Even though we know it is okay not to be perfect, we all worry that our own “Buckner moment” will come at the most inopportune and humiliating time.
