Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest » Philadelphia Phillies

Philip Humber Almost Pitched Game 163 For Mets

Sunday, April 22nd, 2012

Congrats to Philip Humber who pitched the 21st perfect game in MLB history. The former Met is more known here for his meltdown against Washington when he blew a 5-0 lead  in Game 158 during the collapse in September of 2007. After years of injuries and poor performance, Humber put up a very solid 2011 […]

R.A. Dickey’s Streak Ends, Looking Back at Doc’s

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

The Braves ended R.A. Dickey’s streak of 14-consecutive quality starts that fell just short of Dwight Gooden’s team record set in 1985. Ironically, it was the Braves that ended Doc’s on July 4th of that season. That was the infamous 19 inning game that ended at 4:00 AM. Dickey’s streak has been over two seasons, […]

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 […]

The Manischewitz All-Time 25-Man Roster

Sunday, April 8th, 2012

On the second night of Passover, a simple dinner discussion that evolved into an argument between the Matzo Ball Soup and the Brisket was the impetus for this list. Going through the Internet to find any definitive list, this wonderful piece by the ubiquitous Jonah Keri from 2007 was discovered  listing the Top 18 Jewish […]

R.A. Dickey and That Crazy Statement

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

Back in July of 2010 there were rumors the Mets were looking for starting pitching. Roy Oswalt‘s name was brought into the conversation, but most reports had the then 32-year old as costing Jonathan Niese plus top prospects. For a team on the periphery of the Wild Card race, and with a thin farm system, […]

Should the Mets Sign Joel Pineiro?

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

The Mets lack of pitching depth has been widely discussed this spring. Look past the starting five, and you don’t see many options that make you warm and fuzzy. Perhaps Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia will change that mid-season, but neither should be put into the equation on March 20th. With the new rule that […]

Expanded Playoffs Necessary in Lieu of Salary Cap

Thursday, March 1st, 2012

All reports indicate that MLB will expand its playoff system this year to include a second Wild Card team. MLB continues to be the only sport that doesn’t get it. What I mean by that is they don’t have the understanding or ability to create an economic system where the disparity in local revenues between […]

Nationals Ticket Promotion in Poor Taste

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

I have travelled to an opposing ballpark to watch the Mets play. I purchased Red Sox tickets in 2006 when the Mets were in Beantown. In 1999 and 2002 I went to the old Veterans Stadium for a Phillies/Mets series; I did the same in 2006 for an August series against the Nationals at the old RFK. […]

Wright’s Future Is in His Hands

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

More than a week ago, New York Mets GM Sandy Alderson finished his long drive down to Port St. Lucie, FL for spring training. A week ago Saturday he held a gathering with reporters, answering questions on the state of the Mets organization. There was no truth to the rumor that Alderson was late for […]

Yanks Should Thank Burnett for Vetoing LA Deal

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

According to a tweet the other night by Buster Olney, the Philadelphia Phillies attempted to trade pitcher Joe Blanton to the Los Angeles Angels for OF/DH Bobby Abreu, then planned to flip Abreu to the New York Yankees for A.J. Burnett.  My first thought was how much cash would the Phillies have wanted the Yankees […]

Mets Have Plenty to Be Positive About This Spring

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

It is common knowledge among the electorate the 2012 New Mets aren’t going to be that good. Without a deep starting pitching staff and not even a true ace, Mets GM Sandy Alderson has attempted to follow the lead of the Arizona Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers by building up a solid bullpen to improve their […]

Listen: Spring Training Warmup

Sunday, February 12th, 2012

I return to the airwaves after the Super Bowl hiatus to a content-packed show. Matt Cerrone of Metsblog joins me to discuss Sandy Alderson’s debut on Twitter, the NYBD Mets Hall of Fame results, and the Mets handling of the media. I will give you my thoughts on why trading A.J. Burnett just for salary […]

A Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones DH Split

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

We probably have been overanalyzing the Yankees DH situation since the Jesus Montero trade, but that’s what we do here, so let’s take another look at it. Reports indicate that Raul Ibanez might be the top target of Brian Cashman. One of the reasons is his ability to still play the field, although I would use the term “play” loosely. […]

Tom Seaver, Born to be a Dodger?

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

I had an opportunity to chat with Steven Travers last night, author of a new book called “The Last Icon: Tom Seaver and His Times,” on my radio program. Never before has someone delved into the career of the man known as “The Franchise.” You all know about his accomplishments on the field, but Travers […]

More DH Options

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

I mentioned Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Vladimir Guerrero, and Jorge Vazquez on Saturday as possible options for the Yankees Designated Hitter position. Newsday’s Ken Davidoff adds Jack Cust and Raul Ibanez to the mix as their agents have contacted the Yankees. The reps for Jack Cust, Vladimir Guerrero & Raul Ibanez have contacted the #Yankees […]