On Saturday, I attended a screening of Knuckleball! at the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival. The documentary, by award-winning filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, follows knuckleballers R.A. Dickey and Tim Wakefield during the 2011 season. Stern and Sundberg also tell the story about how both pitchers came to embrace and master this unique pitch. Charlie Hough, Phil Niekro, Jim Bouton and long-time White Sox […]
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, […]
As I mentioned during last night’s radio program, I am giving away a free VIP admission to the baseball documentary Knuckleball! The winner and a guest will sit in a special reserved section at the premiere and receive a signed movie poster by R.A. Dickey, Tim Wakefield, Charlie Hough, and Jim Bouton. The first person […]
Do you really think baseball or any of our American sports are drug free? I am not talking about narcotics, steroids or even amphetamines. I am talking about legal, over-the-counter type of drugs that may be used a bit more than normal. Earlier this year, HBO’s Real Sports did a profile on the painkiller Toradol. ”You […]
The Mets should give Dickey a Wakefield style deal where it can just be extended every year forever.Do it @MetsGM! — Craig Glaser (@sabometrics) March 30, 2012 This is an interesting idea by Craig Glaser aka @sabometrics on Twitter. There are reports the Mets are thinking about exercising R.A. Dickey‘s 2013 option worth $5 million […]
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, […]
Joba Chamberlain is always a polarizing topic, but the reaction to breaking his ankle on a trampoline has been interesting. There really is no in-between, as some absolve Chamberlain since he was “playing with his son,” while others believe this is another demonstration of his immaturity and recklessness I understand the counterpoint. Spending time with […]
If you listen to the mainstream media, there appears to be no reason to watch the 2012 New York Mets. Some pundits (Michael Kay- ESPN) have the team winning 55 games. I would imagine that most publications will have them a lock for last place when they post their predictions later this month. Even the […]
I always like to try new things here, so instead of doing a “year in review,” I am doing a “Stock Up/Stock Down” heading into 2012 for New York baseball. This includes a “watch list.” The list could include players, coaches, minor leaguers, and the media. Stock Up Curtis Granderson - When the Yankees acquired […]
I guess better later than never, but is Andrew Marchand of ESPN NY serious with this statement in a column about the Mets concerns with R.A. Dickey climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro? Dickey has one-year left on his $7.8M, two-year contract. He is scheduled to make $4.5 million in 2012. Given the Mets’ money woes, it is unclear if […]
I am a big proponent of the new MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement. There are goodies for the average player, expanded playoffs, and even roster flexibility for doubleheaders. Like with any deal there were tradeoffs, as teams are now going to have to draft and spend wiser on amateur talent. Just a day before the rumored […]
Moneyball: It’s entertainment! At least that the message I give in my official review of the film over at Sports Media Watchdog: Moneyball delivers the goal of any movie: entertainment. There is a little of everything in the film; Baseball, personal struggle, an underdog, and even a family component. The main character, Oakland General Manager Billy Beane, […]
I was talking with NYBD contributor Joe Delgrippo yesterday. We discussed A.J. Burnett and my thoughts about how he is throwing less fastballs than ever before. One of the things Delgrippo saw was Burnett not using the same pronounced hip turn. It’s something the Yankees have been working on correcting since spring training, but if […]
Yesterday, I talked about Curtis Granderson being my favorite for the AL MVP. But if you read Jeff Bradley’s column in the Star Ledger it might be Russell Martin that is one of the most valuable Yankees. The Yankees starting rotation is one of the biggest surprises in baseball. Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia are performing as if they are in their pre-injury prime. Ivan Nova is a […]
R.A. Dickey was holding court before Friday night’s Mets- Brewers games at Citi Field. He was talking about why he recently joined Twitter, his upcoming climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the manuscript for his memoir that is due out next April, and how throwing the knuckleball is about relationship and perfection. I asked Dickey if he could […]
