Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest » Mike Piazza

Don’t Expect Reyes’ Return to Be Very Memorable

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

Jose Reyes returns to New York tonight as a member of the Miami Marlins. It will be weird to see the former Mets shortstop decked out in the silly art deco Miami uniform. This is not the first time in team history a star is returning to his former place of employment. The Mets have done […]

Results of NYBD Mets Hall of Fame Vote

Monday, February 13th, 2012

Due to the strong debate about John Franco‘s induction into the Mets Hall of Fame, I created a BBWAA-style vote for the Mets Hall of Fame. On last night’s radio program, I shared the results with Matt Cerrone of Metsblog. Here is how you voted: Mike Piazza 95.3% Ron Darling 70.6% Edgardo Alfonzo 66.4% Howard […]

Pete Rose Received Two Write-In Votes This Past HOF Election

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Update 10 AM: Repoz from Baseball Think Factory has informed me the other Rose supporting is perennial backer Jack McCaffery of the Daily Times in the Philly area. Original Post Last night, I was joined by Marco Maturo, a member of the BBWAA who spent 40 years covering sports for Gannett, which included 7 years on the Mets beat […]

Listen: Tom Seaver: The Last Icon

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

We do a Mets-centric show tonight, as Steven Travers, author of a new book called “The Last Icon: Tom Seaver and His Times.”  We will discuss Seaver’s career, learn about him personally, and see how he rates versus the greatest pitchers of all-time. Later in the show I will discuss why the Mets should retire Gary […]

Watch: Mike Piazza on MSG Celebrity Row

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

During last night’s Knicks-Nuggets game at the Garden, Mike Piazza appeared at halftime with Jill Martin on the MSG Network. You can watch the segment below, but some of the highlights were Piazza saying he and Johnny Bench are tied as “the best hitting catchers of all-time,” how he would like to go into the […]

The Hall of Fame SS That was Nearly a Met

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

The terms “Cincinnati legend” and “lifetime Cincinnati Red” were used to describe Barry Larkin yesterday after his election into the Hall of Fame. He also became the 48th member of the Hall to spend his entire career with one team. Born in Cincinnati, Larkin won the 1990 World Series, MVP in 1995, and become the first shortstop […]

Pete Abe Speaks Out Against Baseball “McCarthyism”

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

Back in the 40s and 50s the United States was facing a huge threat - communism. During this era, thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathizers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government. Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy led the brigade with the “Hollywood Blacklist” and investigations by the House […]

Sensible Contracts for Hitters and Pitchers

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

In recent months I have discussed the dangers of long-term deals, specifically when it came to the Mets signing Jose Reyes. The years, more than the dollars, is usually the problem. Long-term contracts lead to teams paying premium dollars for players past their prime. The average annual value is often skewed because you have situations (see […]

BBWAA Will Not Induct Anyone Until 2014

Monday, December 19th, 2011

It’s been nearly 15 years since the BBWAA elected to not enshrine someone in Cooperstown. During the 1996 election, Phil Niekro received 68.3% of the vote, followed by Tony Perez (65.7%), and Don Sutton (63.8%). Ironically, all three would be enshrined by 2000.  I believe there is a good chance no one will be inducted by the […]

Closing the Book on Jorge Posada and the Yankees

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Jorge Posada announced his career with the Yankees is over. “I don’t think there’s even a percentage of a chance that I can come back,” Posada said to the Daily News. “It’s not going to happen.” It was a rough year for Posada both on and off the field. On the […]

Bobby Valentine, Executive Producer, But What’s Next?

Monday, October 17th, 2011

Big league manager on two continents, ESPN broadcaster, civil servant in Stamford, CT and now executive producer is a term you can use to describe Bobby Valentine. The man that seems to have his hand in just about everything made an appearance on Saturday at the Hamptons Film Festival. His latest venture is a film […]

Using Piazza Negotiations on Reyes, Feigned Interest, Balanced Managerial Style

Saturday, September 24th, 2011

Jose Reyes said the predictable words that you would hear from any free agent this time of the year. He told everyone how he loves New York, but that it’s a business and we will see what the future holds. That’s negotiations 101 in the agent playbook. What I do know is the Mets are […]

What Is Your Favorite Old Ballpark? Honoring Torre, Wright’s Crossroad and Friendly Neighborhood

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Last night the SNY booth was discussing old ballparks and it gave me the idea to reach out to my Twitter and Facebook followers to ask what old ballpark would they have liked to watch a game. Here are the responses I received: Ebbetts Field Polo Grounds Crosley Field Jarry Park Original Yankee Stadium Astrodome […]

Morning Digest: Mets and MLB Drop the Ball on First Responder Tribute

Monday, September 12th, 2011

There was no Mike Piazza to homer off Steve Karsay last night. Even if there were, I doubt yesterday’s Mets- Cubs game could ever recreate the drama of September 21st, 2001. The Mets did a nice job honoring the ten year anniversary of 9-11. They had alums get involved all weekend and participate in charity […]

Mets Everyday Persona What City Needed Post 9-11

Sunday, September 11th, 2011

Throughout their history the Mets have always taken a backseat to the Yankees on the field. Perhaps you could argue that wasn’t the case during their 80s run of dominance, but even then it was fast and fleeting and filled with George Steinbrenner’s antics on the back page. We have seen numerous tributes about the ten […]