Cubs, Tigers and extending shameful streaks

The only thing worse than watching the Mets lose in person is not watching the Mets in person at all.

I pretty much have to adopt this as my credo. Because it appears that the Mets are going to lose whenever I show up. As those close to me know, the last time I witnessed a Mets victory was all the way back on July 21, 1991, when the Mets beat the Dodgers at Shea.

Correct. We’re talking 17 years. Here is my streak of shame:

7/26/1995 Cardinals 3, Mets 2 in St. Louis

9/24/1995 Marlins 4, Mets 3 in Miami

6/17/1997 Yankees 6, Mets 3 in the Bronx

6/30/1997 Tigers 14, Mets 0 in Detroit

4/5/1999 Marlins 6, Mets 2 in Miami

6/10/2007 Tigers 15, Mets 7 in Detroit

8/4/2007 Cubs 6, Mets 2 in Chicago

Extending the streak was Monday’s debacle at Wrigley Field.

4/21 2008 Cubs 7, Mets 1 in Chicago

First, thanks are in order to my buddy Will and his lovely sidekick Laurie, who gave up her seat so I could go. Naturally, she’s a Cubs fan, and she knows how to ensure a victory for her team.

Final score aside, there’s nothing bad about seeing a game in the Friendly Confines. It’s a true neighborhood event, with houses for blocks and blocks showing their Cubs banners.

Inside, you can’t get closer to the players in too many other places. I was hanging out near the Mets bullpen watching Oliver Perez throw, and I bet he was less than five feet away.

And I was pretty impressed by the Cubbie vendors. Keep in mind I was proudly wearing enemy colors. Yet several ushers cheerfully offered to take our photos, and both the food and concession vendors I dealt with seemed to go out of their way to be nice.

You already know about the game, which was a great pitchers’ duel until our bullpen decided to let the Cubs batters pad their stats.

Sadly for many Cubs “fans,” they were already back at Sluggers and Murphy’s by the time game got out of hand.

So I thought you might like a photo tour of our adventures.

The blocks around Wrigley are filled with street vendors selling Cubsware.

Some their wares are of questionable legality and taste. Check out the Japanese headbands.

Will and I checked out the new Ernie Banks statue. Naturally I have my sweet new Shea Final Season t-shirt.

Part of the new Walk of Fame is a tribute to Bill Buckner, who was wearing a Cubs batting glove when Mookie's ball rolled between his legs in the glorious 1986 series.

It was nice to see Mets fans at the game -- even delusional ones.

Just like my game at Wrigley last year, Oliver Perez was throwing in the bullpen.

Derek Lee collected his Gold Glove Award prior to the game.

Cubs fans know how to party. I have no idea what the hats were about. Will says there are a lot of people there who are interested in a game, but it has nothing to do with the events on the field.

It's a little hard to see, but that's Cubs legend Ron Santo singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

With the game over and the streak of shame extended, I sought comfort in the fact that the Cubs have an even longer streak of shame. We celebrated this by reenacting the infamous Steve Bartman moment from the 2003 playoffs.

As we were going Bartman, I heard a voice saying "Nice try, but you're in the wrong spot." This guy said he was sitting in the actual seat, and was "reversing the curse" by sitting there after the game. Not sure how he was doing that, but he was having fun.

In other news...

I now have a favorite Tiger.

Sometimes my job takes me to cool places, and sometimes cool people come to my job.

Tuesday morning we got a press release saying that Curtis Granderson, the Tigers centefielder rehabbing here in Grand Rapids with the Whitecaps, was appearing at a middle school.

I suddenly became the most territorial reporter in the newsroom.

Curtis Granderson meets the local media.

I have to say that Granderson was impressive. I learned that he asked the Whitecaps to call the schools and said he had a couple hours of free time before the game, and offered to speak to students.

He spoke about how both of his parents and his sister are teachers, and that classmates are like teammates who you can call on for help. He's one of just 30 major-leaguers with a college degree, proudly discussing his business degrees from University of Illinois - Chicago.

We talked for a little bit after his time with the students, and he told me the event is just something he enjoys doing.

Here's my full story: http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/04/curtis_granderson_comes_to_gra.html

"Bad Guys" and awesome cousins

I had one of those post-vacation weeks where work was crazy and outside commitments were stacking up, preventing me from blogging through what was a pretty sweet week for our Mets.

And I’m heading off to Chicago on Monday for a glorious opportunity to see the beloved Mets in the friendly confines of Wrigley, thanks to my buddy Will and his wonderful sidekick Laurie.

I’ll have a full report after that game. Until then we can have a meeting of the Mets Book Club.

I had no interesting reading “The Bad Guys Won” by Jeff Pearlman, for a couple reasons.

First, I avoid negative books about the Mets, otherwise known as the collective works of Bob Klapisch. I generally don’t care to know that players can be jerks.

Second, I had reservations about Pearlman, who wrote the Sports Illustrated story that made John Rocker infamous.

Don’t get me wrong. Rocker was a complete knucklehead. But I’m not sure the piece was fair. When I interview someone I make sure they know they’re on the record, especially when I’m dealing with someone who is not used to dealing with the media.

Technically, I don’t have to. Because if you are speaking to a reporter, you need to know that what you do and say can appear in the paper. But you don’t want to take advantage of people, either.

And by the way Rocker was carrying on in the interview, I’ve always wondered if he was aware of what was going on, or whether Pearlman was egging him on. It’s just not my style of journalism.

But I was in a Borders Outlet store in Florida looking for some light reading for the trip home, and saw the paperback version for $3.99.

And I remembered that Pearlman had nice things to say about "Mets by the Numbers" on the back cover. Maybe he’s a decent sort after all.

So with just minimal investment and guilt, I picked it up and started reading.

Seems like the worst stuff is in the first chapter, about the food fight on the flight home from Houston after the 1986 playoffs. From there on there isn’t too much that we didn’t already know, like Gooden’s drug issues and Dykstra’s gambling and Strawberry’s unhinged first wife.

I do have to say that I almost stopped reading near the end of Chapter 11, when Pearlman is talking about the “Let’s Go Mets” song and video. He got to the part about non-players who appeared in the video.

“No star was too small. As a result the last 20 seconds is an embarrassing nod to such not-so-hot luminaries such as … two schlubs from Twisted Sister (neither is named Dee Snider.)”

Wow. Just, wow. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the video. So I’m not which members he insulted there. And Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda, A. J. Pero and Mark “The Animal” Mendoza might not care.

Pearlman’s from Mahopac. He needs to learn that one does not dismiss Long Island royalty as “schulbs.”

I nearly bounced the book off the forehead of the guy sitting in front of me on the plane. And he deserved it because he had the seat fully reclined, which means he was practically sharing my seat.

Ahem! No one in Twisted Sister is a "schlub."

The last time I was that ticked off reading a Mets book was when Peter Golenbock referred to some pitcher named Thomas George Seaver in his book “Amazin’.” Obviously I know of George Thomas Seaver, the Hall of Famer and face of the franchise. But I’ve never heard of that other guy.

Seriously, if you’re writing a team history, how can you possibly blow the name of the team’s greatest player?

Back to Pearlman. The rest of the book was just OK. It’s pretty much a retelling of the playoffs and the World Series win over the Red Sox. All that has been told in more detail in other places.

So, slights to Twisted Sister aside, I guess it was an OK book to buy on clearance in an outlet. And it passed the time on the flight home.

Then, I arrived home and found a mysterious package in my mailbox. I opened it, and with great joy discovered the program from the Mets’ Opening Day and a note from my cool cousin, Mike.

I must say that my cousins are taking extraordinary care of my Mets needs this season, and I am most grateful.

Mike said he got to the game early, saw the special program – and saw that they were going quickly. He grabbed an extra one for me, and even kept it dry and clean with some drunk sitting behind him was spilling their beer all over the place.

I must say this is the best Mets program I’ve seen in years. It’s almost yearbook-thick. There are a lot of historical photos, and even a poster of David Wright.

And unlike the Jeff Pearlman book, there are no cheap shots at Long Island legends.

Key deer, key limes and five key moments of our vacation

We’re arriving back home today after a glorious week being spoiled by my parents in Florida.

After jinxing the St. Lucie Mets, we headed down to Key West, which is a strange place but very, very fun -- so much fun that it gets its own version of the Deezo Friday Five.

1) On the five-hour trip down we went through the national key deer refuge. And I confess that I have never heard of key deer, which my Dad said are like other deer, but smaller. And like Jimmy Buffet, they spend all their time in the Florida Keys.

There is much concern about the key deer, because there are high fences along the road and constant reminders to go slow and beware of the deer throwing themselves into the path of on-coming traffic.

The joke is that since most of U.S. 1 in the Keys is a two-lane road, the odds are that you will get stuck behind one of those RVs towing an SUV or boat – and in one case, both, I swear – so there is little chance of going that fast even if you wanted to.

Then we saw this sign:

To which my wife smartly replied, “Duh. Don’t give them any.”


2) Key West is famous for its Sunset Celebrations in Mallory Square, which is filled with all sorts of crazy performers, including Dominique and his Flying House Cats. Make no mistake, dude is nuts. But he had housecats jumping through rings of fire.

I used to think my own cat’s skill of pulling my pennants off the wall when he’s ticked off was pretty cool. But after seeing these flying felines, the bar has been raised.

3) The Southernmost Point marker is a mystery. It’s just a big concrete thing. It’s not even at the southernmost part of the island. But damn, it’s cool. We went back to it three different times, and waited in lines to pose with it. I seriously contemplated buying a miniature version of it for my desk at work, but then I’d have to move one of the Statues of Liberty.


4) Frozen chocolate key lime pie on a stick. It’s like key lime pie, but it’s frozen, dipped in chocolate and put on a stick. Having been to the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts, I was sure I have enjoyed every possible food and stick combination. Seriously, they have chocolate chip cookies on a stick and pickles on a stick. But this was … amazing.


5) Ernest Hemingway’s crazy cats. Hemingway’s house is a museum. Actually, a good chunk of the island seems to be dedicated to the author, who apparently fished and drank, both in great quantities.

His house is famous for having about 60 cats running around, most with six toes on their paws.

The folks there were nice enough to let us use the penny squishing machine without paying the $12 admission, and we did indeed see many, many cats, including one that was keeping the top of the penny squishing machine warm for us. We didn’t count its toes. Nor did it seem interested in jumping through hoops of fire.

I jinx minor-league Mets, too

Tim Teufel and Met-for-a-day Dan Murray guide the St. Lucie Mets this season.

OK, we know I’m a jinx to the major-league Mets. But apparently that now extends to any of our assorted minor-league versions as well.

I know this because I had the extreme pleasure of going to see the St. Lucie Mets play the Jupiter Hammerheads at Roger Dean Stadium on Saturday.

The game started on a good note because, well, I was with my Dad, and that makes any event special. But as we were walking to the ticket window a ball came bouncing off the stadium roof and landed in the grass about 30 feet in front of us.

Sweet! An official Florida State League ball, and without having to deal with someone yelling “Give it to a kid.” Kids are perfectly capable of catching their own balls, and note that this phrase is yelled only by people who, in fact, were not able to catch one.

It didn’t even dawn on me why someone would be hitting a foul ball out of the stadium when the game was a half-hour away from starting and too late for batting practice.

Snagging our tickets and free “Game Day Magazine” and magnetic schedules, we soon discovered that the game started an hour earlier than the schedule I saw last week.

But that was OK, because it was only the top of the second inning and the Mets were already up by a run.

Roger Dean Stadium is a spring training complex shared by the Cardinals and Marlins, and then used by the Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals for the remainder of the summer. That means there is a game just about every day, which is pretty efficient use of your stadium tax dollars in my book.

And while tickets might be hard to snag in March, they are pretty readily available in April through August. We sat where we pleased, which was in the third row behind the Mets dugout near the on-deck circle.

I didn’t see any of our assorted ailing and rehabbing Mets, but the team is managed by Tim Teufel, who doesn’t look like he’s aged a day from when he earned his 1986 World Series ring.

Mike Hart, Joel Fuentes and Dan Murray are the coaches. Murray pitched one game for the Mets and 14 for the Royals in his brief major-league career, but, of course, is a favorite of mine.

A Mets catcher wearing No. 31! Is Mike Piazza back? Nope, it was Jason Jacobs wearing a number that should be retired throughout the Mets system.

I can’t say I recognized anyone on the St. Lucie roster, but nearly all were either Sand Gnats or Cyclones last season. The Hammerheads were trotting out rehabbing Jeremy Hermida.

Mets hurler Dillon Gee didn’t seem to be fooling anyone, but he was getting saved by some really tight defense.

He definitely didn’t fool Hammerhead Jacob Blackwood who launched an absolute bomb to left that landed on the roof on the building beyond the fence to tie the game.

Naturally, with me an attendance, the Mets forgot to score any more runs. The game remained tied until James Guerrero hit another homer – this one nowhere near spectacular – off Mets reliever Garry Bakker in the seventh.

The Mets only had one hit the entire time I was there, which I guess I should have expected, being a jinx and all.

But we were able to see some nice pitching and fantastic defense. Plus we left with our foul ball, magnet schedules and I even got a sponge eye-ball that was tossed into the crowd during the between-inning festivities.

Earlier in the day, my parents once again showed how they absolutely spoil me by taking a side adventure from our shopping trip in Vero Beach to get one last look at Dodgertown, which, of course, is the best spring training site in the universe.

Supposedly the Orioles are planning to move into Dodgertown next season, though it sure won't be the same.

Holman Stadium is probably the best place I'v ever watched a game. Look how close you are to the action. And note that the dugouts are just a bench in front of a chain link fence.

Legos, assorted funny things and the Friday Five

A little late with the Deezo Friday Five this week. But I can still get it in before midnight, especially for the West Coast readers!

1) Lego stadiums. Sadly, it doesn’t look like anybody made a Shea or Citi Field. But some of these were pretty sweet, like Oriole Park at Camden Yards, complete with warehouse and the absence of any quality players.



2) Hugo, Cat of 1,000 Faces. I have to give Hugo credit. He acts as least as well as Mark Hamill.


3) Topps had a good chuckle with its Kazuo Uzuki card. I pulled this short-print from a pack and wondered who the heck he was. Then I turned it over and read that he throws 104 MPH and I figured something was up. The company revealed this week that it was an April Fool’s Day joke. I think I’d rather find a card of a real player, even a stiff like Guillermo Mota.

Then again, it was more believable than last year’s spoof, which had President Bush in the stands on Derek Jeter’s card. As if the Secret Service would let someone like Jeter get that close to the president.



4) Speaking of Jeter, the folks at the Crane Pool Forum had fun mocking his cologne, “Driven.” Naturally, it wasn’t called “Divin’” because Jeter usually waves at grounders, especially ones on the third-base side, so he can find something new to blame ARod for.

5) Thank you for the nice birthday wishes! And I must say there is nothing better than a Dairy Queen ice cream cake! It's the crunchy chocolate center that puts it over the top!

Like Brady Clark, I'm just happy to be here

Forty-four is for fence-busting mashers, forever associated with guys like Hank Aaron and Willie McCovey.

And according to the essential “Mets by the Numbers,” the best member of our beloved team to wear the number was … a pitcher.

But that’s OK, because our team doesn’t seem to do things the conventional way.

Today I turn 44. With Mets as in life, it might not seem as magical as No. 41 or as special as No. 42. And yes, I’m claiming Jackie Robinson as an honorary Met. The team seems to, so I’m just following its lead.

But 44 is better than 43, which in Mets World appeared to be troublesome with Jim McAndrew being our most successful player to wear it on his back.

So we move on to the David Cone birthday. We share a bond, as he also was a University of Missouri journalism student. Or it could be the Jay Payton birthday, or the Lastings Milledge birthday.

Howard Johnson bailed on the number after just five days, which worries me since I don’t have that option. But Brady Clark has it now, so I’m pulling for him.

And like Brady Clark, who barely made the team, I’m just happy to be here. I write a lot of stories about people who don’t get to be 44 – three in the past week, as a matter of fact.

Every day is a blessing and a gift.

It might not seem like it on an evening when Pedro heads to the DL for the next two months and our new reliever gives up a walk-off homer to a Marlin who is lucky to slap singles.

But you can’t get too down, because there’s always the chance that you can come back the next night and win 13-0.

I think we’re in for a good year.

Top 10 reasons why this Opening Day is a beautiful day

The forecast calls for rain here in Michigan today. But it’s a beautiful day. Opening Day is always a beautiful day.

It is, quite possibly, my favorite day of the year. Will always has advocated for it to be named a national holiday.

But it’s not, and I’m finally OK with that. I wouldn’t get it off anyway – you need your newspaper every day – and I like getting mail. So it’s OUR holiday.

And I’m even more excited about this year’s Opening Day than usual, if that’s possible. Here are the top 10 reasons.

1) SheaQuest 2008. Through my awesome cousin Tim and even more awesome parents, I’m getting to the Shea one last time.

And this isn’t just any glorious game. No. Tim scored tix to the Ultimate Throw Down Between Good and Evil. That’s right, a Subway Series game.

Considering I get choked up when I get to see the Mets in a spring training game, I’m likely to be a puddle by the end of batting practice and a complete wreck when they send the Yanks back home in shame. But that’s not going to stop me from booing Derek F. Jeter, cheering every single Met and sending the grand ballpark out in style with some of the people most special to me.

2) April 21, Mets vs. Cubs. Speaking of special people, Will’s in a Wrigley Field season ticket group and members rotate games. For the second year in a row, he scored a game with the Mets and his lovely sidekick graciously allowed him to bring me.

3) July 19, Mets vs. Reds. BaseballTruth.com is a memory – and a grand one at that -- but the Executive Game lives on! Board members voted to see a game in the Bronx, but that fell through. So after great deliberations and only a modest amount of lobbying/begging from me, we’re going to Great American Ballpark to see the Mets again.

That’s right, three regular-season Mets games this year! My records show that hasn’t happened since 1989 -- the last of our three years in Connecticut.

I know what you’re thinking. I’m a known jinx. I haven’t seen the Mets win a game since 1991, coincidently my last game at Shea. Perhaps that’s the team’s way of saying it was time to come home. That’s happening, and the streak is going down.

4) Johan Santana. Do you think he’s going to like throwing in a pitchers’ park against batters not used to his filthy stuff? I see great things.

5) Pedro’s back! Pedro Martinez’ cameo at the end of last season was nice, though way too short. He’s healthy, he’s back and hopefully we have him for the entire season.

6) Jose Reyes is serious. No one knows what happened when Jose fell into his September funk, but he’s focused and starting anew. I expect nothing short of a magical season.

7) You think David Wright is honked off that Jimmy Rollins in walking around with Wright’s MVP Award? I think D-Wright’s going to ensure that this one’s a no-brainer – by the end of May.

8) No more Tom Glavine. I was tired of his reluctant-Met routine. Let Mr. Homesick pitch for the Braves.

John Kruk was just all over ESPN talking about how John Smoltz and Glavine were going to lead the Braves to the division title. Kruckie seems to have forgotten that both those guys are on the wrong side of 40 and Smoltz is already hurting.

And we know what happens with Glavine as the season progresses. He runs out of gas then coughs up seven runs in the top of the first without getting a second out in the ultimate must-win game – then acts like he doesn’t give a damn. Tell Chipper we said “Hi,” Tommy.

9) And speaking of Glavine and Game 162, I am so ready to move on because I am so tired of hearing about last season. I swear, the ESPN announcers spent two-thirds of the spring training game against the Braves last week talking about “the collapse.”

Yes, we sucked. But the Phillies played out of their minds. They get credit for that.

And as if 4:10 p.m. today, it’s old news.

10) No Barry Bonds, no Sammy Sosa, no Roger Clemens. All of the alleged major juicers are done and out of the game. Maybe, just maybe, we don’t have to hear about steroids quite so much.

It’s been a long winter in so many ways. And it ends this afternoon in Miami.

In other words...

If this photo of Tom Seaver doesn't scream all that is good with baseball and life, I don't know what does. It's from a site called Steve's Baseball Photography , one of several great new baseball sites I've discovered.

Steve shares with us baseball photos he's taken over the years, and the shots from the 1960s and 1970s are just stunning. Enjoy.

Pet Shops, Pop-Tarts and pounding the Braves

It was pretty sweet to walk past the newsroom television Thursday and see the Mets and Braves playing. It was even sweeter to see the Mets scrubs beating the snot out of the Braves starters.

But sweetest of all was finding out that my wife found the game was on and recorded it, which meant that I could stop finding excuses to walk past the newsroom television and could enjoy the pounding at my leisure.

The only thing that would have been better? If Tom Glavine had been on the hill when the Mets bench gang was circling the Disney World bases so often they probably thought they were on the Teacup Ride.

Hopefully we’ll have that chance during the season. Until then, we can proceed to the Deezo Friday Five.

1) I got my hands on “Meet the Mets 2008,” and it’s a little hard to figure out what exactly it’s supposed to be. At 112 pages, it seems more like a magazine than a book. But $12.99 is a bit steep for a magazine.

But it’s a neat collections of reviews, previews and history. Contributors include Greg Prince of Faith and Fear in Flushing and Jon Springer and Matt Silverman of “Mets by the Numbers,” so you know the quality is going to be there.

Matt’s story about the top 25 moments in Shea – and some of the sweet historic photos – is worth the price of admission alone.


2) A guy from Texas paid $1,300 to buy a cornflake that someone thought was shaped like Illinois. Incredible.

But I’m excited because I found a Pop Tart that’s shaped like Colorado. Bidding starts at only $500.


3) Check out this new Topps Heritage card of Johnny Estrada. He’s pictured in a Mets uniform, which is pretty neat because, as we know, he’s never worn one.

And that’s not some spring training deal where he was signed in the off-season and will be making is Mets debut this week. Nope, we traded for Estrada after the season was over and then cut him loose a couple weeks later.

But I’m still pretty happy to have this card because it remains a reminder that Guillermo Mota – who went to Milwaukee in the deal for our phantom Met – is no longer on our roster, and that’s sure to bring a smile to all of our faces.


4) I know far too much about Littlest Pet Shop toys. My daughter and I cruise the aisles of Target and Toys R Us eagerly anticipating the newest arrivals. She’s already rounded up all the kitties, and our epic search for a “Sugar Glider” – a flying squirrel – came to an end at Justice, a store that my son refused to be seen it.

The Pet Shops are so cute it hurts, so I was stunned when I saw the new, limited-edition Punkiest Pets Shops. Seriously, I thought it was some parody when I found them on the rack.

You just know that if the Ramones traveled with pet lizards, they’d look like our little mohawked friend.


5) “Pearls Before Swine” is becoming my favorite comic strip. It’s pretty sick, especially Thursday’s panels, which show the wimpy Ted from Sally Forth looking to get Rat, working as a concierge, hire some companionship for him.

And the best part is that in the Sally Forth world, Ted and Sally are right now staying in a hotel in New York, where, as we, know, such behavior will force you out of the governor’s mansion. The only thing that would be better would be if he were eaten by the crocs next door.

The two strips above can be found on the Comics Crumudgen blog, which is must reading for all fans of the funnies and is almost as twisted as Pearls on most days.

"Mets by the Numbers," an awesome read -- with one very cool photo!

Tracy Stallard ranked 10th in the National League in home runs allowed in 1963 – but he was only fifth on his own team, which speaks volumes about the ’63 Mets. And he wore No. 36.

Vance Wilson will one day tell his grandkids that he backed up the two greatest catchers of his era: Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez. And he wore No. 3.

Richie Hebner “arrived reluctantly on the eve of the 1979 season and overnight became the third baseman he no longer was and the clean-up hitter he never was suited to be.” He, too, wore No. 3.

Clearly, I’m reading from “Mets by the Numbers,” by Jon Springer and Matthew Silverman, quite possibly the best book ever written.

And I’m not just saying that because Jon asked me to contribute a photo of my Mercury Mets jersey, though that clearly doesn’t hurt. It’s right there on page 129. Sweet.

I got my copy earlier this month, and I don’t think a day has gone by without thumbing through its pages.

It’s not the kind of book where you plop down in a comfy chair and sit there until the next morning to see how Harry disposed of Lord Valdemort.

No, this is like a reference book I turn to each day, maybe for a couple minutes or maybe for half-hour. I plan to keep it on my desk at work, right there with my other resources.

Like with Jon’s Web site, http://www.mbtn.net/ , he approaches Mets history numerically from Richie Ashburn (1) to Turk Wendell (99), or until Tony Clark, depending on where you think his 00 stands in line.

He takes each number and tells you which players wore it and for how long – and why we should care about each one. And it’s written with equal parts tenderness and frankness.

Sometimes a number is redeemed and forever linked to glory, like No. 41.

And others just seem to be either bad luck or an indicator of trouble to come. Take this passage about No. 43, which comes a mere two digits over.

“Former Yankee Shane Spencer made the Mets in 2004 and proceeded to make an Art Howe-led club make more taken advantage of than usual. Whether it was urinating outside a pizza joint then beating someone up about it, walking through a bar barefoot and being amazed about a foot getting cut on broken glass, or getting a DWI on a subsequent rehabilitation assignment, Spencer made you forget that he was about the best 43 with a bat the Mets have ever had.”

Plus, Jon takes little side trips down all kinds of streets, telling us, for example, that Jason Isringhausen had the longest name in team history. Like with Pop-Up Videos from Friday, I don’t why I needed to know that information, but I’m better off because I do.

What’s neat is that Springer and Silverman show a fan’s appreciation and for players who were stars, but an affection for the guys who might have just been passing through but made Shea a better place while they were there.

I’m going to keep it in arm’s reach for those moments when I think, “George ‘The Stork’ Theodore was a fun player back in 1973. Wonder what number he wore.” And would be both 18 and 9.

Batmobiles, bunnies and the snowy Friday Five

It’s spring time here in Michigan, which means that we only had four inches of snow instead of six.

That’s going to cause some trouble for the Easter egg hunts that were scheduled throughout the area.

We participated in a community organized hunt when my son was really young. It was a disaster because organizers allowed parents to “help.” I never thought I’d see adults pushing and shoving three-year-olds so they could pick up plastic eggs with one Hershey’s Kiss inside.

The real Easter bunny must have been mighty displeased to see what was happening in his name. And you know what happens when bunnies get mad. You don’t? Well read on into the Deezo Friday Five!

1) Turner Classic Movies recently ran “Night of the Lepus,” a classic from 1972 starring a DeForest Kelley distancing himself from “Star Trek.”

It’s about elephant-sized rabbits that ravage a town and apparently kill people by spitting ketchup on them. That’s my guess because you see a lot of red and no actual wounds, or even pretend ones. I swear Bones was dipping french fries on a “bloodied” extra. There were plenty of real rabbits running around miniature sets in slow motion.

At least three of the rabbits out-acted Kelley.

2) I was doing the patented “Yes-Yes Dance” right in the aisle of Meijer when I saw that Hot Wheels is producing versions of the Batmobile, which of course is the greatest car ever.

No, not the black blob used in the Tim Burton movies and the crud that followed.

The only real Batmobile was the one from the television series. I got to sit in one — there were several made for the show — at an auto show in Detroit years ago. It was one of the highlights of my life.

3) The Cubs think they need more money to spend on pitchers with injured arms and are considering selling the naming rights to their historic yard, Wrigley Field.

The Chicago Tribune owns the Cubs, and apparently thought they could muster up business with a link on its Website that allows readers to see what it would look like to put the name of their choice in the ballpark’s famous read sign.

Click on the link and make your own sign.

Personally, I’m partial to a suggestion from fellow blogger Lonestar Mets a while ago when names for the new Mets stadium were being bandied about. It’s still a good name. I’ve love to see the logo.

4) I discovered this week that my cable network has VH-1 Classic, recalling the days before the channel went right to hell. I’d forgotten just how entertaining “Pop-Up Video” was.

I learned all sorts of stuff about Metallica, like how some of the members got motion sickness filming “The Memory Remains” video. I don’t know why I needed to know that or what I can do with such knowledge, but some how I know I’m better off.

5) Sometimes a CD just sneaks up on you. I thought The Afters new disc “Never Going Back to OK,” would be decent because I liked their debut CD and they rocked in concert. And I saw it on sale for a can’t-say-no price of just $5. I did not expect this thing to dominate my subconscious like it has. You know, like when you're shoveling snow that should have stopped falling weeks ago.

Let Mike Piazza retire properly -- as a Met

Let’s review the Mets catching situation as spring training hits the home stretch.

Brian Schneider: Gimpy.

Ramon Castro: Gimpier.

Friends, clearly these guys are incapable to bellying up to the post-game spread without straining a hamstring. They are injury prone and one of them seems to be making plans to open the season on the disabled list.

Luckily, I have found a solution. And his name is Mike Piazza.

I know, I know. Mikey didn’t even pack a catcher’s mitt when he played in Oakland last year. And his hitting wasn’t all that spectacular, sporting a .275 average with 44 runs batted in and 8 homers in a mere 83 games.

But it’s not like we’re asking him to be our starting catcher for the whole season. We just need a back-up catcher while out two guys recover from a couple months in Port St. Lucie, apparently the most dangerous place on the planet.

All he needs to do is perform the basic duties of the back-up catcher. And those being taking warm-up tosses from the pitcher while the starting catcher gets his pads back on after batting and starting the rare April day game after a night game.

Plus, I want him to make an occasional pinch-hitting appearance.

Look, Clemens is out of the game. He won’t be able to drill Mikey in the dome. He’ll be safe.

Piazza deserves better than what he got. Legends deserve to go out on their own terms.

Look at Willie Mays. He got to leave the game as a Met, which is pretty special right there. But his last appearance was Game 3 of the 1973 World Series – at Shea, before fans who loved him.

Piazza, in contrast, went 1 for 4 in a meaningless game for an American League team that was a game out of last place, then waited for the phone to ring all winter into the spring for a team – any team – to ask him to grace their roster. He’s about to experience a de facto forced retirement.

Here’s what I want.

I want to see Mike Piazza see the standing ovation as he strolls to the plate, basking in the love from the Shea faithful thanking him for the glorious postseason runs of 1999 and 2000, and for enduring the Art Howe era with class.

Then, when either Castro or Schneider is ready to play, I want Mike Piazza to be able to say, “Fans, it’s time for me to hang ‘em up.”

I want to see Mike Piazza retire as a proud New York Met in a stately ballpark’s final go-around, and not as an Oakland Athletic – ick – in a football-fractured stadium where they have to cover the seats in the upper deck so the place doesn’t look as empty as it is.

Then, the very next day, I want to see No. 31 hoisted to the wall in rightfield, so the best position player to ever play for the Mets can join No. 41, the best pitcher ever to play for the Mets.

Piazza certainly has nothing to be ashamed of if his career ends now. He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer. In fact, five years from now he’d be on the same ballot as his old nemesis, Bat-Chucker Clemens, who I think we can all say will not be joining him at the podium.

But it could be so much nicer.

It’s a zero-risk proposition for the Mets. And what’s the alternative? Raul Cassanova? It’s not like Mikey is blocking a prospect from getting a shot.

Let him come back so he can go out in style.

Cornzilla and Panera Bread muffies? Take it easy, it's only spring training.

Been a pretty good week in Mets land, especially compared to the ongoing fiasco that is the Yankees.

Both teams are hosting events in their stadia in their farewell years. The Mets, of course, are allowing Billy Joel to rock the house, a nod to the historic concerts Shea has hosted over its four decades.

Meanwhile, the Yankees are using their dump for a hockey game. Because, well, they know the team won’t be needing it after the now-traditional swoon in the first round of the playoffs.

Notice, to that the Rangers will be playing the Red Wings instead of the Isles or Devils. That’s probably because the Rangers wanted people cheering for them instead for the opposition.

And then the team turned a spring game into a glorified fantasy camp, allowing Billy Crystal to celebrate his 60th birthday by taking an at-bat.

Billy Crystal pretending to be a Mets fan.

I noticed they didn’t let Crystal take the field, which would have been pretty risky. You think Derek Jeter is pouting now with A-Rod by his side. What would have happened if all the world had seen that Crystal has more range than Jeter?

It should be noted that when Garth Brooks was in camp with the Mets, he took it seriously and raised money for a valuable cause.

Then you have new tough guy manager Joe Girardi whining because Rays prospect Elliot Johnson hustling in a spring training game took out one of his prospect catchers, saying Johnson should have given himself up so no one got hurt. That must have been what Joe Torre told the Yankees in the 2004 playoffs against the Red Sox.

But enough about the Yankees. Let’s get to the Deezo Friday Five :

1) This is probably the coolest Mets T-shirt ever. I’m expecting to see a lot of Shea Stadium stuff out there this year, but nothing is going to top the glorious Home Run Apple, finally given the respect it deserves. I found this on the Mets shopping site , not that I’m dropping birthday hints or anything.


2) Panera’s chocolate chip muffies = breakfast crack. It’s true that I get a sesame seed bagel and a muffie from my local Panera probably four days a week. The nice people in the store know my order and start bagging and toasting as soon as they see me walking in the door. The down side is that sometimes I actually want something else, but once they start bagging and toasting I don’t have a choice. And if you start yelling "DON’T SLICE THAT SESAME! I WANT A CINNAMON CRUNCH!" as soon as you cross the threshold it’s gonna freak out the other customers.


3) I know very little about "High School Musical," but I know enough to wonder how it could possibly translate into an ice show. I refuse to see this. I’m holding out for "Field of Dreams — On Ice!" The idea of the 1919 Black Sox skating around guys dressed as corn stalks moving in precision nearly moves me to tears. "Hey, Dad. Wanna do a Salchow?"


4) Mary Ann busted for pot? Gotta admit I didn’t see this coming. The Professor? Maybe. Gilligan? Obviously. But not America’s girl next door. Tony and I met Dawn Wells once. She came to Columbia, Mo. to appear at an open house at a new hospital that opened next to our dorm at Mizzou. She was really nice and really pretty and happily autographed photos for us. On the bright side, she followed Tom DeLay's philosophy, "They're gonna use the photo everywhere, so you might as well smile."


5) Cornzilla. The West Michigan Whitecaps are easily the best-run sports franchise I’ve ever seen. But I have to tell you I’m a little worried about this. Here’s the release:

"The Whitecaps are getting even cornier this season! Welcome the newest addition to the Whitecaps family, Cornzilla! Cornzilla can roast 400 ears of corn every hour. You can dip the corn in butter with choices of salt, ranch, Cajun or secret special corn seasoning to top it off! Make sure you stop by Cornzilla on the main concourse — if you dare!"

I dare. I can’t wait. The team’s other signature food is Frankie the Swimming Pig, a darn good pork sandwich, and he gets to be a mascot and everything. I want to see somebody in a Cornzilla costume in the worst way!

In other words:

Two of the best Mets Web sites teaming up? That's what happens when Mets By the Numbers interviews Greg Prince of Faith and Fear in Flushing for a must-read post. But Joe Girardi would say "Take it easy, boys. It's only spring."