Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest » Rick Peterson

Does Anybody Here Know What Moneyball Is?

Monday, September 26th, 2011

“Can’t anybody here play this game?” Said Casey Stengel when he took over the Mets in 1962. Nearly fifty years later I feel like saying something similar to fans, writers, and some baseball insiders when talking about Moneyball. The movie had a great weekend as it grossed $20.6 million; only second to Disney’s “The Lion […]

Listen to Moneyball Tonight at 8pm

Sunday, September 25th, 2011

Tonight I review Moneyball the Movie and discuss the industry misconceptions of the film and book. Joining me is former big league pitching coach Rick Peterson. He will talk about working for Billy Beane and give us a firsthand look into how the A’s did business. Hear the latest from his current ventures at 3p Sports and […]

Gardner vs. Crawford, New Pitch, Mets 2012 Closer, Wild Card Fallout, Roger Maris

Sunday, September 25th, 2011

So is Brett Gardner a cheaper version of Carl Crawford as Brian Cashman claims? They both play good defense; they got are going to steal 50+ bases; and they both are going to get on base about 34-35% of the time. If there is ever an example of how batting average is a bad judge of […]

Yanks Postseason Roster, Citi Field Dimensions, Bad Sign for Warthen, Francona’s Last Stand

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

Ken Davidoff broke down the Yankees postseason roster at Newsday and he believes it could come down to Joe Girardi keeping either Jorge Posada or Eric Chavez. Let’s take a look at Davidoff’s roster: The Yankees have gone with 11 pitchers in each of the five postseason series that Joe Girardi has managed. There’s no point speculating on […]

Nitkowski Talks About Media and the “Controversial” Stem Cell Therapy

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

On Sunday, C.J. Nitkowski joined me during my 1240 AM WGBB show. He shared his memories of 9-11 and the 2001 Mets team that he was a part of during the month of September. We also discussed his attempt to use stem cell therapy on his shoulder in order to revive his pitching career. If […]

Is Bartolo Colon the Next Tommy John?

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

Back in the seventies Tommy John underwent a revolutionary surgery that has become a common part of the baseball injury vernacular. Could Bartolo Colon be the pioneer for stem cell therapy that will be commonplace 15 years from now? Former St. John’s product C.J. Nitkowski has been pitching in Japan the last four seasons and decided he wanted to try to make […]

Home Run Drill, Rickey Still Has It, Phony Erin Andrews, Bombs By Straw

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

Robinson Cano won the Home Run Derby last night, but should that be a surprise? Cano does a drill instituted by Yankees Hitting Coach Kevin Long called the “home run drill.” It focuses on swing consistency by having the same short, compact path throughout the swing. This allows a player to maximize his power without […]

Don’t Be Surprised if Yanks Take a Flier on Kazmir

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

It appears Scott Kazmir is on the verge of being released. Last week, I talked to someone who believed the Yankees may take a shot on him if he became available. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the concerns of the Mets front office turned out to be correct. During his career, he’s […]

Mets Need an Organizational Pitching Philosophy

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

I wish I could say I am surprised by the news that Jenrry Mejia needs Tommy John surgery. Although I wasn’t against him entering the big league bullpen last year, I never understood why he was left buried after the decision. The Mets could have used him like the Yankees did Phil Hughes in 2009, […]

Time For Warthen to Show Results

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

It’s way too early to have an extreme reaction to anything going on in the field. There is reason to start to evaluate the early signs that could be trends throughout the season. One such evaluation is Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen. I don’t know Warthen personally, nor have I talked to him, but to […]