Saw this guy at the ballgame last week. He was in the perfect spot for a picture, so I obliged.
Keith’s Grill And Custom Made Burgers
Keith’s grill, which I wrote about earlier this month, was featured on SNY the other night.
There are two different types of burgers that Keith Hernandez helped create, and both come with kettle chips and a Tootsie Roll pop. You get whichever is the next flavor to come out of the box, although I’m sure the cashier wouldn’t be _too_ annoyed if you asked for a different one.
Right now they’re only set up to do one burger at a time, but they said they’re hoping to have both available for the next homestand.
On Wednesday I had the Mex Burger, and while I’d still give the edge to Shake Shack, it was a pretty tasty burger. I look forward to trying the Gold Glove Burger when I get a chance.
What’s New At Citi Field? Keith’s Grill and More!
Unfortunately, the worst part of Opening Day was the play on the field. Hopefully that doesn’t continue. There are a handful of changes at Citi Field to note.
The bad first. There are no longer Brooklyn Beers on tap at the Taste of NY center field concourse. No Shackmeister Ale, no Blanche de Brooklyn, no Blue Smoke Ale and no Sabroso Ale. Not even a Brooklyn Summer Ale. You can still get the Brooklyn Lager around the park, but the loss of these specialty brews is disappointing. I haven’t even seen Brooklyn’s Pennant Ale anywhere, which you think would be a given for a ballpark, never mind a team with Brooklyn roots. I’m going to try to keep a full list of the Mets beer selections at Citi Field, and hopefully one day will add the stuff that’s hidden behind club doors this season. If you know a blogger and beer lover that roots for a different team, I’d love to talk with him or her about creating a beer list for other stadiums.
The highlight of the changes to me was a new concession stand on the field level in the left fielder corner called Keith’s Grill. It features a Gold Glove burger which is described as having been created by Keith Hernandez.
“Exactly how Keith eats his burger; A 6 oz. Brooklyn Burger on a toasted sesame bun, w/ cheddar cheese, topped w/ lettuce, tomato, two dill pickles, raw onions mayo & extra ketchup on top, mustard spread on the bottom bun. Burger served with house made kettle chips & Keith’s favorite candy; a Tootsie Roll Pop”
I didn’t try it; the line was too long and I figured I’d go back on a less crowded occasion, but it sounds yummy. I heard that their was a new Pastrami on Rye sandwich somewhere, but I think I remember seeing that at the Kosher cart last year.
There was two new beers from Hometown Brewery. A New York Lager and a light. the NY Lager wasn’t bad, but didn’t seem like anything special. They were available from a couple of different carts around the park. It seems like it might be contract-brewed by the Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Which is where the Yankees AAA team plays and is in Pennsylvania, so don’t be too excited by the NY name.
Two new menu items at Blue Smoke. Chipotle wings are back after a 2010 absence (I learned in 2009 that eating wings in cold weather when your hands are chapped is a bad idea) and also a fried chicken sandwich.
There’s an organic dark chocolate frozen yogurt bar at the Burgers and Fries concession from Stonyfield, and also a chipwich at the same place.
Box Frites has a sauce, rosemary ranch, which I think is a new choice.
There appears to be knishes available at more locations this year.
There are probably a couple of other changes that I missed, so be on the lookout!
As usual, plenty of advertising turnover.
Mets Blasphemy List
These are statements that I think most fans consider to be blasphemy. What statements are on your Mets Blasphemy List?
Jose Reyes will not be a Met his entire career.
David Wright will not be a Met his entire career.
Yadier Molina is not the Anti-Christ.
It was probably time for Seaver to go anyway.
It’s okay to root for the Yankees too. After all, this is New York right?
Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden are True Yankees™.
Blue and Orange don’t look good together.
#17 belongs to Kevin Appier, Fernando Tatis, or Luis Lopez.
The tomahawk chant that the Atlanta Braves Fans do is kind of cool.
Hu’s Telling the Jokes Around Here?
I can practically guarantee that this conversation will happen during a Spring Training broadcast.
Gary Cohen: “It‘s the bottom of the third inning here at Digital Domain Park. The Marlins just made a pitching change, bringing in their ace Josh Johnson to get his work in. David Wright at the plate with the bases loaded.
Gary Cohen: “It‘s the bottom of the third inning here at Digital Domain Park. The Marlins just made a pitching change, bringing in their ace Josh Johnson to get his work in. David Wright at the plate with the bases loaded.
Ron Darling: “The Mets are down a run, this is the perfect opportunity for them to tie the game even with an out.”
Keith Hernandez: “They’ve got some speed on the bases. With..who’s on first?”
Gary: “Hu’s on second.”
Keith: “No, on first. Who’s there?”
Gary: “Yes.”
What To Watch For In Mets Spring Training Camp
All teams have a variety of different roster spots open for the taking in Spring Training. So what should we be watching in Port St. Lucie with the Mets? (And if you’re watching on SNY, the games will be in HD this year!)
Health
Keeping players healthy is definitely number one. This includes building up arm strength and recovering from an injury that ended last season, or simply not getting hurt. Jason Bay, Francisco Rodriguez and Daniel Murphy ended up the season on the disabled list. The primary goal from them is to get to Opening Day without experiencing any pain or lingering effects of what ailed them last year. Bay and Rodriguez have both been reported healthy and pain free, but it’ll be good to show that in real spring training games. Daniel Murphy has had some knee issues, and the best shot he has at winning a job this season is to not be hampered by lingering pain that prevents him from putting in the work both at second base, and at the plate, that he needs.
Some guys have been injured frequently, to various degrees, and may be at risk again. Chris Young, Chris Capuano, Carlos Beltran are three of the most recent cases. Beltran has mainly been dealing with one issue, a lack of cartilage in his knee, and may have that under control via an understanding of what ails him, and a knee brace that keeps his knee bones from bruising further. Beltran’s goal this spring is to prove the brace hasn’t reduced his range significantly in center field, and to get the reps at the plate he needs to keep up to speed without needlessly stressing his knee in exhibition games.
Young and Capuano have more to prove if they want to earn a spot on this team and continue contributing for the entire season. Consistent starts this spring with no reports of pain or soreness would go a long way to giving us confidence that can give us some quality innings.
Jose Reyes often gets mentioned in the injury discussion, but really he was healthy for most of 2011. He had a medical condition that had him almost literally rolling out of bed and into the field in April, and had a slight oblique strain mid-season that was so poorly managed by the Mets and their manager that it probably cost him twice as many games as it needed to. Players get nicked u, and an oblique strain isn’t something to worry about. Given these parameters, it seems like 2010 is the absolute floor of what we can expect out of Reyes for any given season, and given a full spring worth of preparation it’s not unfair to expect him to be much better again.
The Stars
The results may not matter, but it’s still fun to watch some of the best in the game play. The Mets have a nice core of excellent players. David Wright and Jason Bay can launch home runs and bash the ball all over the place. Jose Reyes can run wild and be his energetic, fun to watch self. Carlos Beltran may go back to making difficult defensive plays look easy while blasting home runs.
While maybe not on the same level, yet, many other players that have jobs secured are fun to watch. Ike Davis has some great power and is maturing as a hitter. R.A. Dickey is an amazing guy and watching him taunt hitters with the knuckleball is always fun. Jon Niese progressing with his devastating curveball or Bobby Parnell blowing guys away with his occasionally triple digit fastball will make highlights reels all spring long.
Rounding Out the Roster
Which guys will make the team seemingly out of nowhere? Who will have a monster spring and launch themselves into the conversation for 5th starter, or long reliever, or first pinch hitter off the bench? A lot of the bullpen is open for guys looking to have a strong showing. Beyond second base that has a couple of favorites, but is an open competition, there are a couple of different ways the Mets could fill out the extra bench spots. Could it be Nick Evans? Or Scott Hairston? What about Jason Pridie or Justin Turner?
The Future
What’s more exciting than seeing what may be on tap for the years to come? Jenrry Mejia make a lot of noise last spring, enough that he mistakenly got a roster spot in the bullpen. He’ll be exciting to watch this year to see how’s he progressed and if he’s someone we can look forward to in the future. You’ve got some possible outfielders that look exciting, like Lucas Duda or Kirk Nieuwenhuis.
The Broadcast
Besides the games finally being in high definition, Gary, Keith, Ron, and Kevin are a joy to listen to do a game. Just like Spring Training is a little more lax than the regular season, so are the broadcasts. Obviously most of us don’t have the opportunity to listen to them live, because most games are on at 1pm, but if you do get a chance it’s well worth it.
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David Wright Is, and Should Be, The Captain of the New York Mets
Not every baseball team has, or needs, a captain. Currently only four of the thirty teams have captains: Derrek Lee of the Cubs, Paul Konerko of the White Sox, Jason Varitek of the Red Sox and Derek Jeter of the Yankees. The Mets haven’t historically needed to trump up the ego or perception of one of their players and proclaim him captain. In fact they’ve only had three in their history and two were co-captains. Keith Hernandez was named captain after the Championship season of 1986. Gary Carter soon joined him, and they were co-captains until 1989. John Franco, after the 2000 Pennant year, was named captain and served until 2004.
Is it time to name a new captain? Could the Mets benefit in 2010 from an on the field leader? There are arguments for and against, but I think it’s becoming more and more obvious that title or not, David Wright is a leader on this team. He’s hardly the only one: Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana both provide leadership as well, but the team might still benefit from an official captain.
Johan Santana is a cheery guy in the clubhouse, and he’s also a fierce competitor. He provides a nice mix of enjoying the game, yet still preparing and competing to the best of your ability. Francisco Rodriguez provides energy and passion at the end of the game, and is also a fiery guy. It’s generally assumed that a pitcher, despite John Franco, cannot be a captain because they do not take the field every day. I don’t really buy that argument. While there is a benefit to being a leader from the front of the lines every day, there are plenty of ways to lead from the dugout, between innings, and before and after games. Santana is on the mound 20% of the time and the pitcher is definitely front and center of the guys on the field batting for a win.
Still, it’s obvious to most observers that the guy most likely to be the Captain of the Mets is David Wright. He’s well-spoken, confident, and a star. He’s a fan favorite and one that will hopefully spend his entire career with the Mets. He’s never worn another uniform. He grew up a Mets fan. He’s a guy that’s willing to instruct, support and motivate his teammates and they respect him for it. David Wright can lead this team.
The 2010 Mets have a void in leadership with a lame duck manager. The players are now familiar with the plusses and minuses of the current management and it’s time for them to step up and provide for themselves. Whether this is David Wright walking out to the mound to talk to Pelfrey, or Johan Santana signaling to the infield what he’s going to throw so they can cheat and reposition themselves a little bit, 2010 is about moving forward, and it’s time to name a captain. The last two times the Mets named one it was after a pennant year and the team lost. Maybe it’s time to name a captain that will lead us to another championship rather than rewarding a player with a title afterwards. But one thing is certain whether it becomes official or not: David Wright is the captain of the 2010 New York Mets.
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Mustache?
Apparently, the first 25000 fans attending Friday night’s game against the Phillies will receive an SNY Mustache.
Interesting promotion, Maybe they can have other similar promotions and we can all sneak back into the dugout aka Bobby Valentine.
Faith on the Subway
I think the Mets are a better team than the Yankees, and despite the past two weeks, I think the Mets are going to win this series. I’ll give some reasons for each game, I’m not panicking, and I don’t think the Mets are either.
Game 1: Perez vs. Clemens
Oliver Perez has really pitched well here in New York. He’s pitched some of the biggest games and done well. Game 7 last year, the three wins against Atlanta, and he beat the Yankees at Shea. He lost his last start and he hasn’t had two bad outings like that all season. I expect him to bounce back strong tonight.
Obviously the offense is the problem, but I think they can wake up tonight. Clemens threw well over 100 pitches just getting through six innings against Pittsburgh, and the Mets offense is a lot scarier than that. If the Mets work counts, and let Clemens throw as many pitches as he did in his last start, he won’t make it six. Even if the Mets don’t capitalize on him, that leaves a good stretch of iffy Yankee bullpen to beat up on. Nothing wakes up bats like Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth.
Game 2: Clippard vs. Glavine
Would you believe people are actually saying that this match-up favors the Yankees? Seriously? Tom Glavine is miles ahead of Tyler Clippard, and after his poor start in Detroit, you know he’s going to come back strong. The Mets often struggle against new guys, but Clippard is no longer new, they’ve seen him before, and they’re going to be ready for him. This will be another early to the bullpen day for the Yankees.
Game 3: Hernandez vs. Wang
I feel like this match-up may favor the Yankees a bit, but Hernandez is a fierce competitor, facing his old team, coming off a bad start, and has pitched very very well recently besides that. The Mets have apparently never seen Wang, but he’s been around enough that I don’t think they’re going to fall prey to him the way they would’ve if this was his first year. At the very least I think the Mets will compete, and he won’t pitch a complete game like he did recently. The Yankee bullpen could be tired by this point if my other two games went as planned, so even if he does pitch well, the Mets have a chance to put their foot down on a tiring bullpen.
The Mets are done with their slump. They’re going to win these games, because they need to start winning games. Everybody needs to have some Faith in this team. It was 24 years ago today that the Mets started putting together the ’86 puzzle by acquiring Keith Hernandez. I wonder if Gary will remember that and mention it to him tonight.