Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest » Montreal Expos

Ducks Open Season Honoring #8

Friday, April 27th, 2012

When you think of the late Hall-of-Fame catcher Gary Carter you immediately remember his days in Montreal or leading the Mets to the ’86 World Series championship. Perhaps his final years in Los Angeles and San Francisco come to mind, as well. What you don’t think of is Carter in a Long Island Ducks uniform, but he […]

Baseball Sees Itself in Canseco

Saturday, April 21st, 2012

Great day I walked on to the field and then flexed for the crowd got a loud possitive cheer loved it — Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) April 21, 2012 The beauty and downfall of social media is that it allows complete transparency into the world of people. The invisible wall that once separated fans from who […]

Where Does Derek Jeter’s Ascent Up the Hit Chart Take Him?

Monday, April 16th, 2012

One of the early surprises of the season is the offensive output of Derek Jeter. Going into tonight’s matchup against Minnesota, Jeter is hitting a robust .366 with 2 HRs and 6 RBI. The slow bat that turned him into a below league average hitter the last couple of years has disappeared. I was ready to […]

Ron Darling Becomes a New York Star Post-Playing Days

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

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 […]

Shea Stadium Nearly Had Astroturf

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

I was surprised when I found out earlier this week that Shea Stadium nearly went Astroturf for the 1985 season. Over at Sports Media Watchdog, I interviewed Michael Damergis, author of a great 25th anniversary book about the United States Football League called “USFL: The Rebel League the NFL Didn’t Respect but Feared.” During the […]

Sisk on Carter, How the Montreal Deal Went Down, and the Canadians Tribute

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

I wanted to share some final thoughts before we put the final touches on the tribute to Gary Carter. Doug Sisk, Carter’s teammate from 1985-1987, joined me during my show tonight to discuss his memories of “The Kid.” Hear Doug talk about the impact of Carter on the Mets, their appearance together in a bubble […]

“Kid” by Annakin Slayd

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

As a tribute to Gary Carter, Annakin Slayd, a musician from Montreal, recorded a song called “Kid” along with a video featuring highlights of Carter during his playing days. There are some great highlights from Carter’s days in Montreal and New York.

Listen: Gary Carter on AM 1240 WGBB 4/22/2007

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

With the passing of Gary Carter, I thought I would celebrate his life and career by sharing my interview with him from April 22nd, 2007 on 1240 AM WGBB. When Carter was diagnosed with cancer, I wrote about my personal connection with #8. You can download this interview here or listen below. You can also […]

Tom Brady Was Nearly a Expo, Passed on by the Yankees

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

Here is another cool baseball-football connection this Super Bowl week. I am sure this has been talked about before, but Jeff Bradley did a nice piece in the Star-Ledger about Patriots QB Tom Brady and his near baseball career. You know about the three Super Bowl titles, but did you know that Brady was an outstanding baseball […]

Vote: NYBD 2012 Hall of Fame Ballot

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

We are a little over a week away from the Baseball Hall of Fame announcing its 2012 selection. Each year, I give the readers of NYBD an opportunity to cast their own BBWAA-style ballot. Last year Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar garnered the most fan support, but not the requisite 75% needed for induction. In December, Gil Hodges received the most […]

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 […]

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 […]

Pedro Martinez: The Best Ever?

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

During the same week that it was revealed Ryan Braun failed a drug test and John Rocker admitted using performance enhancing drugs during his career, the player I thought most about was Pedro Martinez. Martinez officially announced his retirement earlier in the month. To be fair, most thought of him as retired after he didn’t pitch in 2010. So now […]

Sticky: Vote in the NYBD Hall of Fame Ballot

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

I will be keeping this up as a sticky until our January 8th Hall of Fame show where we will announce the fan selections. Remember, the actual Hall of Fame announcement will be on January 9th. Here is my Hall of Fame ballot - you can weigh in on the conversation by voting here.

My 2012 Hall of Fame Ballot

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

 VOTE IN THE 2012 NYBD HALL OF FAME BALLOT It’s that time of the year again when we debate the Hall of Fame. Although I am not a member of the BBWAA, I always like to share my perspective on how I would vote if I were granted the privilege. When I select players I look […]