Both Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez marveled at the prescient Ron Darling last night. In the first inning, Darling had noted how it would be a good time for Mets starter Mike Pelfrey to fake a pickoff throw to third and first in order to possibly get Ryan Zimmerman starting too early on the 3-2 […]

The minor-league deal. The non-roster invite to spring training. It’s like one of those phrases you hear in passing and ignore. There are two types of non-roster invitees, as former Dodgers GM Fred Claire pointed out to me the other day. “There’s the promising young player that you would like to take a long look […]

As you know, there is a spinoff site called Sports Media Watchdog where I discuss my weekly thoughts on sports media. It’s still a developing project (feedback always encourage!), as the heart and soul of my content is what I do here at NYBD. I have developed a podcast over there where I talk to […]

We have been discussing the Veterans Committee “Golden Era” selections over the last few weeks. Gil Hodges and Allie Reynolds have been the two names discussed that are close to home here in New York. Jim Kaat, also on the ballot, is a name we haven’t delved deeply into, but that all changes now since he deserves a closer […]

Check out this blurb from a piece by Andy McCullough in the Star Ledger about Bobby Parnell: Few Mets have experienced patches of bad luck like him this season. He possesses the second-highest batting average on balls in play (.343), which measures how often a hit is recorded when the hitter makes contact. The average for a […]

The news about Howard Johnson returning to the diamond this weekend at the age of 50 to play with his son Glen for the Rockland Boulders conjures up memories of his career. In case you are unaware, Johnson will suit up for the Boulders- a member of the independent Canadian American League- for a game this weekend […]

The Yankees continue to win, and are in first place in the AL East. The playoffs are not in question, but that didn’t stop Bob Klapisch from taking him to task in yesterday’s Record for how he handled the A.J. Burnett situation on Saturday night. It’s up to the manager to prove he’s not playing favorites on […]

David Wright returned from the disable list to hit a homer and drive in six runs this weekend in Florida. Chuck Johnson, who does scouting and contributes here at NYBD, had this to say about his observations about the weekend: I was shocked at the changes David Wright made to his stance and set-up. He’s less […]

The Tigers designated Brandon Inge for assignment last night. Inge has struggled this season hitting only .177 with a homer and 17 RBI. Since I live in Smithtown, Long Island I could swear I heard cheers coming west from Manhasset. Why? Because WFAN’s Mike Francesa has talked about “liking Inge a lot” on his radio show. He […]

Next Thursday SNY will be airing a special on Ralph Kiner at 7pm. Newsday’s Neil Best reports that among those interviewed are Tom Seaver, Keith Hernandez, Tim McCarver and Kiner himself. Rumor has it that you will hear about his date with Elizabeth Taylor. Although I criticize the network for their lack of programming, when they do produce […]

Bob Raissman talks with David Check of MLB Productions about the upcoming documentary on Derek Jeter‘s 3,000th hit. “Derek Jeter 3K,” as it will be called, will have an inside look at his quest for 3,000 hits starting with the rehab in Tampa. You will get to see Jeter behind the scenes and wearing a wire during his […]

It’s weird hearing Al Michaels and Bob Costas do baseball. For me, it’s been so long since Michaels did MLB that I can’t see him doing anything but the NFL. I always think of the dramatic flair that Costas added to Michael Jordan’s final days with the Bulls in the NBA Finals against Utah. With […]

I keep hearing dialogue about the Yankees acquiring a starting pitcher, or 1-A to team with CC Sabathia. For me, it should be about what lefty the Yankees can acquire. That’s because I think they have their #2 or 1-A in Bartolo Colon. Colon is throwing in the mid-nineties, keeps the ball down, and has the historical […]

Fans of gossip are probably familiar with Perez Hilton, which delves into the lives of celebrities, but there is a site called TerezOwens.com which appears to be doing the same for athletes. I know some like this sort of thing, and others don’t; regardless, it’s become part of the landscape so we have to talk […]

Recently, some Major League Baseball teams produced video against bullying. There is interest amongst some the Mets to make one of their own. All of us have been bullied at some point in our life, but with the “age of information” I have heard stories about kids getting harassed in their own homes via Twitter, MySpace, […]