A 1964 Shea Stadium postcard and the great Pearl Bailey

I finally got around to scanning in a pile of various things I've picked up over the past year, and this is one of the cooler ones. It's not just the 1964 view of Shea Stadium in its first year, featuring the colored panels hanging outside the ramps, the old buses parked near the subway bridge, the vintage cars in the parking lot and the cartoons of the Jets and Mets (interesting number choice, by the way; No. 45 wasn't worn until 1964, by Ron Locke). Those things are cool, but it's a pretty common postcard. I've seen it plenty of times. What made me buy it was the back -- be sure to note the date it was sent.



First of all, I love old postcards that have been sent. I don't need to know anything about who sent it, who received it, or where it went. It's interesting to me just to get this small little window into one brief moment of a day or a trip in someone's life, decades ago. Of all the things they saw, experienced or had to tell someone, what was it that made them choose these details?

But back to this postcard: The Mets won the 1969 World Series on Oct. 16 at Shea; this postcard was mailed six weeks later from Flushing. Interesting choice by "Sidney," who makes no mention of anything but Broadway, the weather, and her (his?) flight. No talk of the Mets, no mention of the ballpark, no indication of why this postcard was chosen.

It's a shame Pearl Bailey wasn't in that Saturday performance of "Hello Dolly" -- Bailey and Cab Calloway starred in a very successful all-black production of the musical, and Bailey won a Tony Award in 1968 for her role -- because therein lies a connection not to just to baseball and the Mets, but also Game 5 of the '69 Series. A big Mets fan, Bailey sang the national anthem before Game 5 and took home a clump of sod from the field after the victory, according to The Amazin' Mets 1962-1969, by William J. Ryczek.

I wonder if Sidney had any idea of the subtle connection between that star and the front of the postcard sent to Miss Helen Phelps in Beaver, Pa.

MLB's original 16 meeting in the World Series

What a run for these Giants, playing six games in which they faced elimination, and winning each one. In their long and storied history, they'd never won a Game 7 until last night (not counting Game 7 of the 1921 World Series, which was a best-of-nine).

In the 108th World Series, they'll face the Tigers -- another of the original 16 franchises from 1901 -- for the first time. That seemed surprising to me, but it's pretty common, especially when you consider that of the Cubs' infrequent appearances, four were against Detroit, or that while the Dodgers have 18 World Series visits -- ALL of which were against one of the AL's original eight -- 11 were against that team from the Bronx.

But all of this is more easily digested in table form, so here's the breakdown:

TEAMS	Braves	Cardinals	Cubs	Dodgers	Giants	Phillies	Pirates	Reds
A's	1	2	2	2	4			2
Browns/Orioles*		1		1		1	2	1
Indians	2			1	1
Red Sox		3	1	1	1	1	1	1
Senators/Twins	1	1		1	2		1
Tigers		5	4		1		2	1
White Sox			1	1	1			1
Yankees	4	5	2	11	7	2	2	3

*The Browns/Orioles franchise played one season, 1901, in Milwaukee as the Brewers before moving to St. Louis and then, in 1954, to Baltimore.

Watching history from New Hampshire

Johan, in April

My father called during the seventh inning. I was up in New Hampshire, sitting in the living room of my college roommate's lakehouse after the four of us -- my wife, Bryan, his partner and me -- had returned from dinner. We were settling in to watch Lions for Lambs, a 2007 drama with Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise and Robert Redford (who also directed) that I had never heard of.

"Are you in New Hampshire?" he asked, checking up on our itinerary, I figured. "Have you checked in on the Mets at all tonight?"

I didn't get where he was going at first. "I saw Duda homered and they were up like 5-0," I said.

"Yeah. Well, Johan's through seven now, too. The Mets have the bases loaded ..." And then he went on to explain what the Mets had done in the bottom of the seventh. But I didn't care about that anymore.

"Oh! Right!" I said, cutting him off. "We're about to watch a movie, but I'll watch the game online."

"I didn't want to jinx it, so I wasn't going to say anything. But your mother" -- of my parents, she's the bigger Mets fan -- "said I should call you."

"No, she's right," I replied. After a few more words, we hung up and I pulled out the iPad. "Commercial break in progress," it said. We were heading to the top of the eighth.

Bryan stoked the fire and started the movie. I pulled out headphones and put them halfway in my ears, trying to follow the beginning of the movie in between Gary, Keith and Ron describing the game, commenting on history in the making.

One, two, walk, three -- Johan Santana was through eight, becoming the first Mets pitcher to take a no-hitter into the ninth since Tom Seaver in September 1975. He was, in fact, just the second person to take a no-hitter into the ninth for the Mets, because Seaver's three instances were the only other occasions.

But the pitch count is high -- 122 -- especially for a veteran coming off shoulder surgery and a year rehabbing. His spot in the lineup comes up in the eighth, and he strides to the plate, getting a closeup view of six pitches, then walking back to the dugout. The Mets are retired, and it's on to the top of the ninth.

I haven't been following the game, so I know nothing of Mike Baxter's amazing catch or Carlos Beltran's apparent hit down the left-field line ruled foul. I don't know how many balls have been hit hard or how many plays have saved hits, even in the early innings when anything beyond routine is just a nice play, not a history-saving highlight. I don't even know where the Cardinals are in their lineup, having spent the eighth half-watching, half-following the movie. But now I'm all-in; the earbuds are shutting out the dialogue on the TV. I'm not about to take my attention away from the game to see who is due up, so I just take it one batter at a time. It's probably better that way.

Matt Holliday is first, and I only have a moment to ponder how dangerous he might be before he swings at the first pitch and sends what at first looks like a soft, looping line drive into shallow center field. Well, that's it, I think. But it's not, it's out No. 25, hanging up long enough for Andres Torres to jog in and make an easy catch. I haven't watched baseball in a week; my judgement on fly balls off the bat is a little off.

Up comes Allen Craig. He's not a superstar, maybe even not quite a regular yet -- his biggest moments in last year's World Series came as a pinch-hitter -- but he's still young. Maybe he'll become an All-Star. Maybe he'll be a bit better than Jim Qualls. But his anonymity relative to the hitters on either side of him worries me. But on a 2-2 pitch, he flies out to Kirk Nieuwenhuis in left field.

Two outs. One more to go.

And it's David Freese. Uh-oh. Last year's NLCS and World Series MVP. The guy who is no stranger -- and apparently has no fear of -- pressure. A guy who quit baseball because he wasn't motivated, then came back to it and became an October hero. Santana falls behind immediately, then deeply -- three straight balls. And Yadier Molina's on deck -- the guy who drove Baxter into the wall in the seventh, the guy who kept the Mets from the World Series in 2006. Double uh-oh.

But Johan doesn't give in. He gets a called strike on a fastball on the inside corner -- though he probably could've asked Freese where he wanted it, and still Freese would've watched it go by. Then Johan goes back to the changeup, though this late in the game, on his 133rd pitch, his 80-mph changeup is only 6 mph slower than the fastball on the previous pitch. Freese swings and gets a piece -- but not enough, fouling it off. There's really little doubt as to what pitch is coming next: A changeup. Diving toward the dirt. No chance it's a strike, unless -- YES! Freese swings and misses! Strikeout! No-hitter! History!

Sitting there in a New Hampshire cabin, I softly hiss, "YESSS!!" and raise my hands above my head and clap three times. Everyone in the room jumps. Casey, who's used to this kind of thing from me, explains to the guys, "Yeah, this is what happens." I smile, my heart pounding as I watch the celebration on the screen, and apologize, explaining the significance of what just happened. They're not big sports fans, though they do follow the Red Sox and attend an occasional game. But they humor me with "Wow" and "That's cool" comments.

A flurry of texts and tweets with my mom and a few friends follow as I watch the interviews online. It's Mom -- who has followed the Mets from the beginning, or close to it, who probably enjoys it more than any of us -- who had the misfortune of being away from home with no MLB.TV account to follow it, and no sympathetic bartenders in the Philadelphia area who thought to switch off the Phillies game or whatever NBA playoff game was on one of the half-dozen TVs. You'd think they'd turn one of them to MLB Network or SNY (if they have a sports package) just so they could root for the inevitable hit, another close call for Mets fans.

But that hit never came. From the moment my dad told me what was happening, I knew I had to be watching through the last out. I don't know if it was just a hidden sense of this is finally it or the detachment from baseball I'd had all week along the Maine coast, where the only baseball I watched was the Red Sox game, if it was on in the bar. I think it was more that I didn't have a chance to think ahead, to predict when the hit would come, or to dread it's arrival. I guess it seemed fitting that it would happen when I was away from home -- away from work -- and not fully invested in the day-to-day of the Mets, or any baseball.

And I'm glad we don't subscribe to the events-that-shall-not-be-named theory. Not mentioning a no-hitter in progress is for the dugout. Maybe for the ballpark, if you're in the stands and want to play along. But somewhere along the way, back when the streak was in the 7,000s, I decided that approach hadn't worked for 40-something years of Mets history, so maybe another approach would.

This time, it did. And of course it would be Johan Santana to do it -- though I had started to believe that it had been so long that the first no-hitter in Mets history would be pitched by someone like Chris Schwinden, someone who would turn out to be a journeyman, with no chance of having his uniform number join Seaver's on the wall. (No offense to Schwinden, but his recent waiver acquisition by the Blue Jays makes him an apt and recent example.)

I woke up on Saturday morning with that familiar feeling of not knowing where I was, which often happens after the first night in a new bed. The rain on the roof reminded me I was in the loft of a cabin on Lake Winnipesaukee, and then I remembered what had happened the night before. It wasn't yet 8 a.m., but I reached for the iPad and pulled up MLB.com's extensive coverage, starting with the game story and working my way through every other link on the page. I learned about Beltran's near-hit and watched Baxter's catch again and read every word. History was made and I got to watch it and nothing else mattered at that moment than being a Mets fan.

What I didn't know about the DH

I know a lot about baseball. I'm not saying that to brag, just as a piece of background information. I'm not claiming to be all-knowing or a trivia savant (off the top of my head, I can't tell you who won the 1962 AL Cy Young Award or '63 World Series), but I do have a firm grasp of a lot of history, especially that which took place since I was born in 1976.

But this one stunned me: The designated hitter, introduced in '73, wasn't used in the World Series until 1976, and then only in alternating years -- regardless of ballpark -- through '85. I learned this from a Joe Posnanski post written nine days ago that I only read today. (Some of the numbers he has in there are interesting.) So yeah, even in '73, the first year of the DH, when the Mets opened the Series in Oakland, starter John Matlack took a turn at bat (and walked). And in '76, when Cincinnati hosted Games 1 and 2, Lou Piniella and Elliot Maddox of the Yankees and Dan Driessen of the Reds stood in at bat for the pitchers.

So the first National League park to experience the DH -- something that has been offered up as a way to spice up Interleague Play, by swapping the DH rule -- was Riverfront Stadium in '76, and Dodger Stadium ('78), Veterans Stadium ('80), Busch Stadium ('82) and Jack Murphy Stadium ('84) followed suit. The 1985 World Series was the last no-DH Fall Classic, and the Mets' win over the Red Sox was the first to use the current format, which uses the rules of the league of the home team.

This is fascinating to me. In 1973, when the American League -- back when the leagues were truly separate entities -- altered its rules to have a designated hitter for the pitcher, Major League Baseball decided (or refused?) that this affront to the game could not be used to decide that year's champion. It took four seasons before it was allowed. And then, when MLB decided to allow it in the Series, it chose to do so arbitrarily, alternating its use by year, just as it did with home-field advantage back then. However, it implemented the DH rule opposite the American League's home-field schedule. That is, it began use of the DH in the World Series in '76, a year in which the National League team would host Games 1, 2, 6 and 7. Why it was decided to use the DH throughout the Series or not at all for the first 10 years, instead of based on the home team in each game, is a curious choice, for sure -- and, as Posnanski touches on, perhaps had as much as an impact on the games as where it was played. For those who thought alternating home-field advantage each year was stupid and arbitrary, how about alternating DH use? Crazy.

There's always something to learn about this game. And there's always something to see. This has been an amazing World Series, a thrilling and exciting postseason, starting with the last day of the regular season. I've been watching it all and hope to take some time to write out some thoughts after it's over and I've had time to recover and digest it all.

One more game. Let's see what this season gives us for a finale.

By the numbers: Mets home openers

Proof

We all know the success the Mets have had on Opening Day since losing eight of their first nine.

But with my 12th consecutive and 13th overall opener coming up tomorrow (the Mets are 9-3 when I've been there), I wondered how they've done in their first home game over the years. So I crunched the numbers ...

In the 49 openers leading up to this year, they've gone 31-18 (.633), edging opponents by a cumulative score of 201-189 (an average of 4.1-3.9 per game). A total of 1,907,740 fans have attended the games, averaging 38,933 per game. The contests have averaged 2 hours, 47 minutes, though nine of the last 10 have gone longer than three hours.

One of the more interesting openers to me was in 1997, when the Mets (and Yankees) opened with doubleheaders because of rain in New York (amazing that both the Mets and Yankees were scheduled to open at home on the same day, too). This twin bill was news to me because, as a junior in college in Indiana in the spring of '97, I guess I didn't follow the day-to-day ins and outs of the season as closely as I do now.

Tomorrow will be the Mets' first Friday home opener since 1995. They're 4-4 opening up their home schedule on a Friday, though they've won four of their last five. The full day-by-day breakdown:

Sunday, 0-1
Monday, 13-6
Tuesday, 9-7
Wednesday, 3-0
Thursday, 1-0
Friday, 4-4
Saturday, 1-0

Then there are the opponents. The Cardinals and Expos/Nationals have been the most frequent denizens of the opposite dugout, nine times each, so the Nats will claim the top spot with their 10th appearance tomorrow. In all, 12 different teams have appeared:

Atlanta, 2-1 (Mets' record)
Chicago Cubs, 1-2
Colorado, 1-0
FLorida, 2-0
Houston, 1-0
Los Angeles, 0-1
Montreal/Washington, 5-4
Philadelphia, 7-1
Pittsburgh, 3-5
San Diego, 1-1
San Francisco, 1-1
St. Louis, 7-2

The only clubs who haven't been here for the home opener are the Diamondbacks, Brewers and Reds, none of which is all that surprising: Arizona has only been around since '98, the Brewers only in the National League since then, and the Reds always open the season in Cincinnati, so they've never been an option in the 25 years when the Mets are home on Opening Day.

Six of the home openers have gone to extra innings (three wins, three losses), and in home openers that weren't on the season's Opening Day, the Mets are 13-11 -- leaving them at 18-7 on Opening Day in New York.

And for individual achievements, the Mets' winningest pitcher in home openers is the man who holds the Major League record for most Opening Day starts: Tom Seaver, who was 6-0 at Shea with the April bunting. Following him are Jerry Koosman (3-0) and Dwight Gooden (3-2). Al Leiter (2-0) is the only other pitcher -- Met or opponent -- with more than a single victory.

Three visiting pitchers have lost more than one opener (Gooden is the only Met to have done so). Steve Rogers lost with the Expos in 1976 and '78 and Livan Hernandez dropped decisions with the Marlins in '99 and the Nationals in '06. The losingest pitcher? That would be Hall of Famer Steve Carlton, all with the Phillies: '72, '75, '82 and '83. Seaver got the wins in '72 and '75 and was the starter in '83, but the win went to Doug Sisk after Seaver was pulled and the Mets scored twice in the seventh in a 2-0 victory.

Here's hoping for more good numbers tomorrow, when R.A. Dickey gets the start in his first Mets opener against Jordan Zimmermann in his first, and the Nats franchise's 10th.

From ND to MLB: The index

Notre Dame is about more than football. It's about more than sports, really, but that's getting into alumni-level fanaticism. Fighting Irish football history is well known, and the school's basketball accomplishments have provided some equally memorable moments and stars. But its baseball history, which stretches back into the 19th century, includes two Hall of Famers and a host of lesser-known but no less significant contributions to the greatest game ever invented. Cappy Gagnon's Notre Dame Baseball Greats: From Anson to Yaz explored that history through photographs. With that book as inspiration, I've taken it upon myself to present a more in-depth look at the players who have advanced from the playing fields in South Bend to the professional ranks, particularly the 78 men who played under the Dome and made it all the way to the Major Leagues.

The roster of those players is culled from two sources, with Gagnon's book providing some basic background. I started with the list on Baseball-Reference. But then it occurred to me that Louis Sockalexis wasn't included there, yet he's in Gagnon's book. So I went to the Notre Dame baseball media guide. On page 135, the media guide lists the 21 Irish baseball alumni active in affiliated ball (Major and minor leagues) in 2010, followed by their list of 76 Domers who, through the 2010 season, had reached the Majors. There are seven players listed in the media guide who aren't included in Baseball-Reference's list, and one on the B-R list not included in the media guide, so combining the two gives us the final tally of 78 players. Six of the seven B-R omits are late-19th or early-20th century players, so some omissions may simply be oversights, but others may stem from the fact that players moved around from school to school a bit in those days (as in the case of Sockalexis, who was more known for playing at Holy Cross).

So here, then, is the list. Alphabetically, it begins and ends with a Hall of Famer. Active players -- those currently in the Majors or in the minors with past Major League experience -- are in bold. Those already profiled are bulleted and linked to their respective posts.

Cap Anson (A's, Cubs; 1871-97)
 John Axford (Brewers; 2009-present)
Al Bergman (Indians; 1916)
Bob Bescher (Reds, Giants, Cardinals, Indians; 1908-18)
Lou Bevil (Senators; 1942)
Joe Birmingham (Indians; 1906-14)
Jim Brady (Tigers; 1956)
 Billy Burke (Braves; 1910-11)
Count Campau (Tigers, Browns, Senators; 1888-94)
Frank Carpin (Pirates, Astros; 1965-66)
Tom Carroll (Yankees, A's; 1955-59)
Paul Castner (White Sox, 1923)
Clem Clemens (Cubs; 1916. Also Chicago Whales, Federal League, 1914-15)
Craig Counsell (Rockies, Marlins, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Brewers; 1995-2011)
Harry Curtis (Giants, 1907)
George Cutshaw (Dodgers, Pirates, Tigers; 1912-23)
Bert Daniels (Yankees, Reds; 1910-14)
Jean Dubuc (Reds, Tigers, Red Sox, Giants; 1908-19)
Shaun Fitzmaurice (Mets; 1966)
Steamer Flanagan (Pirates; 1905)
Bill Froats (Tigers; 1955)
Norwood Gibson (Red Sox; 1903-06)
Jim Hannan (Senators, Tigers, Brewers; 1962-71)
Ed Hanyzewski (Cubs; 1942-46)
Aaron Heilman (Mets, Cubs, Diamondbacks; 2003-present)
Bert Inks (Dodgers, Senators, Orioles, Colonels, Phillies, Reds; 1891-96)
Burt Keeley (Senators; 1908-09)
Herb Kelly (Pirates; 1914-15)
Red Kelly (White Sox; 1910)
Ed Lagger (A's; 1934)
Bill Lathrop (White Sox; 1913-14)
 Brad Lidge (Astros, Phillies, Nationals; 2002-present)
Adrian Lynch (Browns; 1920)
Earle Mack (A's; 1910-14)
Matt Macri (Twins; 2008)
Jeff Manship (Twins; 2009-present)
Jackie Mayo (Phillies; 1948-53)
Alex McCarthy (Pirates; Cubs; 1910-17)
Ed McDonough (Phillies; 1909-10)
Willie McGill (Indians, Browns, Reds, Cubs, Phillies; 1890-96)
Dan McGinn (Reds, Expos, Cubs; 1968-72)
John McHale (Tigers; 1943-48)
Chris Michalak (Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Rangers, Reds; 1998-06)
Rupert Mills (Newark Peppers, Federal League; 1915)
John Mohardt (Tigers; 1922)
Red Morgan (Red Sox; 1906)
Pat Murray (Phillies; 1919)
Red Murray (Cardinals, Giants, Cubs; 1906-17)
Lou Nagelsen (Indians; 1912)
Hank Olmsted (Red Sox; 1905)
Peaches O'Neill (Reds; 1904)
Christian Parker (Yankees; 2001)
Dan Peltier (Rangers, Giants; 1992-96)
Andy Pilney (Braves; 1936)
Doc Powers (Colonels, Senators, A's; 1898-1909)
Billy Reed (Braves; 1952)
Ron Reed (Braves, Cardinals, Phillies, White Sox; 1966-84)
Ed Reulbach (Cubs, Dodgers, Braves; 1905-14, 1916-17. Also Newark Peppers, Federal League, 1915)
Dick Rusteck (Mets; 1966)
 Jeff Samardzija (Cubs; 2008-present)
Frank Scanlan (Phillies; 1909)
Paul Schramka (Cubs; 1953)
Tillie Shafer (Giants; 1909-13)
Shag Shaughnessy (Senators, A's; 1905-08)
Tommy Shields (Orioles, Cubs; 1992-93)
Duke Simpson (Cubs; 1953)
Red Smith (Giants; 1927)
Lou Sockalexis (Indians; 1897-99)
Billy Sullivan Jr. (White Sox, Reds, Indians, Browns, Tigers, Dodgers, Pirates; 1931-47)
Yank Terry (Red Sox; 1940-45)
Henry Thielman (Giants, Reds, Dodges; 1902-03)
Dick Thoenen (Phillies; 1967)
Ed Walsh Jr. (White Sox; 1928-32)
John Walsh (Phillies; 1903)
Kyle Weiland (Red Sox; 2011)
Tom Whelan (Braves; 1920)
Cy Williams (Cubs, Phillies; 1912-30)
Carl Yastrzemski (Red Sox; 1961-83)

From ND to MLB: Beginning a new project

Last week, I wrote about two autographs I obtained at a card show last weekend after reading about the appearances at Paul's Random Stuff, the first post of Enabler Week. This is the second.

With Notre Dame and Army set to play the first football game in Yankee Stadium '09 -- their first meeting in the Bronx since 1969 -- I decided today is as good a day as any to reveal my new endeavor. Tonight, 22 Irish starters and several reserves will join the likes of Brad Lidge, Carl Yastrzemski and George Cutshaw: Those who have played in the Bronx. Sure, none of this year's Notre Dame football players are baseball prospects, but it's enough of a tie-in for me.

I've been following Kevin's The Great 1965 Topps Project, in which he's attempting to collect that entire set strictly through trades. A few weeks ago, he posted card No. 394, Senators pitcher Jim Hannan. I'd never heard of him, but the first line in Kevin's post drew my attention and an idea was born: "Jim hailed from Jersey City, NJ and attended the University of Notre Dame before signing with the Red Sox in 1961."

Notre Dame. I'd never heard of Hannan, but it's not like I had an encyclopedic knowledge of the 70 Domers who went on to the big leagues. I knew of Cap Anson, Yastrzemski and those who made the jump in the past 20 years: Craig Counsell, Lidge, Aaron Heilman and Jeff Samardzija among them.

So in an effort to expand my knowledge of Notre Dame's baseball alumni, I decided to launch my own project along the lines of the 1965 Topps Project: Collect something -- ideally a baseball card, photo or autograph -- that represents each former Notre Dame player's time in the Major Leagues. But there's one problem: at least 50 of the 77* players debuted before 1950, and so far, it looks like there are 21 for whom I may not be able to find a card, photo or (reasonably priced) autograph. I have some ideas, but I'll worry about those 21 after I've acquired (or at least targeted) the other 49.

[*Update, 12/8/10: Baseball-Reference.com only lists 70 MLB players has having come from Notre Dame, but after checking with Notre Dame's 2010 baseball media guide, it appears that seven players do not have Notre Dame listed on B-R.com. I'm going with the ND list and will e-mail Baseball-Reference about the seven missing players.]




To acknowledge the genesis of this project, I'm leading off with the same 1965 Jim Hannan card that sparked this endeavor. I picked it up on Saturday at the card show in Secaucus, specifically targeting that card to represent Hannan because it's what led me to this plan. I have to say, it was kind of fun to wander through the show looking for a dealer with enough of a stock of older cards. I went to the National Collectors' Convention in Baltimore in August without any specific goals in mind, and while I had fun and picked up some unexpected photos, I was overwhelmed and probably would've gotten more out of it with a few targets to fulfill.

Anyway, back in Secaucus, I found a dealer with albums full of old Topps sets. He had an album of 1965 Topps at the front of his table, and knowing Hannan's card number, I flipped right to it and felt a small burst of excitement upon seeing that the sleeve between cards 393 and 395 was not vacant. This particular dealer turned out to be my favorite one at the show; I bought two other Notre Dame alums from him.




One thing in particular with this card and a few others is the phrasing "Notre Dame University." At first, I presumed this was simply a slight inaccuracy on the part of Topps and whoever writes these blurbs for the backs of the cards. But after seeing it on card after card, I began to think that maybe it wasn't a mistake. And then, in perusing the pages available online from Notre Dame Baseball Greats: From Anson to Yaz, I noticed the sweater of Willie McGill in the lower left of the photo on page 20 (see below): "NDU" stretches across the chest. So it seems that for some time, it was more likely known as "Notre Dame University."

As of this writing, I have 26 of the 70 "pro Domers" covered in my collection. I'll post one or two a week until I've exhausted those that I have and we'll see who's left and see what I can do about representing the missing pieces.

When the Yankees flirted with New Jersey

In a weird coincidence on Tuesday, I found myself reading early in No Minor Accomplishment, Bob Golon's account of baseball's revival in New Jersey beginning in 1994, about the Yankees' flirtation with moving to the Meadowlands. On the day George Steinbrenner died, it was interesting that I'd reach this passage:

... Meanwhile, the once-mighty Yankees fell upon some hard times at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Questionable player deals and numerous managerial changes taxed the patience of even the most dedicated Yankees fans, and empty seats became a common sight at Yankee Stadium. The front office attributed the lack of attendance to the Bronx neighborhood itself. People didn't feel safe coming to the Bronx, claimed Yankees executives, and even those who did were being turned off by the constant traffic delays due to the outdated highways leading to and from Yankee Stadium. The Yankees told anyone who would listen that they were in need of a new ballpark and would consider alternative locations in the New York City area if a deal could be struck.

New Jersey governor Kean, with the backing of the Sports and Exposition Authority and state business and labor leaders, placed a $185 million stadium bond issue on the ballot in 1987. If the bond issue passed, the state would have the funding to build a 45,000-seat baseball stadium in Lyndhurst, adjacent to the Meadowlands complex. A commitment for a team to relocate to the new stadium had to be in place prior to construction, and many thought that the Yankees would be that team. The bond issue's supporters claimed that major-league baseball would create thousands of jobs in Bergen County and be a positive stimulus to the New Jersey economy. The opponents of the bond issue thought it was a risky proposition. Attendance at games could not be guaranteed, and a realistic cost assessment of a new ballpark was in the neighborhood of $400 million. A "north-south" theme also developed within New Jersey, with many residents in the southern part of the state complaining that all of the major Sports and Exposition Authority projects benefited only northern New Jersey. Opposition to the plan increased, and despite the political backing, the voters defeated the bond issue by a two-to-one margin. The Yankees never officially committed to New Jersey, and whether they would have moved or not is simply conjecture. One New Jersey official very close to the negotiations with the Yankees was Robert Mulcahy, currently the athletic director of Rutgers University who was the longtime president and CEO of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. Mulcahy recalled that Yankees owner George Steinbrenner had genuine interest in the Meadowlands site. "We had very serious conversations that included layouts of what the stadium might be. George made some helicopter flights over the sites that we had either adjacent to or on the Meadowlands, frankly his attraction was to the Meadowlands because he felt it was the symbol of success. So, how close it ever got? You know, it's hard to know when people would pull a trigger on something like that, but I can say that we had some very serious discussions about it." Unfortunately, Mulcahy and New Jersey never got the opportunity to present a firm plan of financing to the Yankees once the bond issue was defeated. The idea of building a major-league baseball stadium in New Jersey died along with the referendum.

Though, I'm sure they would've still been called the New York Yankees. But even then, when I thought that having a Major League team in New Jersey was probably the coolest thing that could happen, I wasn't sure I wanted it to be the Yankees, and not because I'm a Mets fan. I just couldn't see that team leaving its historic site in the Bronx, abandoning the House That Ruth Built and George Renovated.

Plus, I knew most Yankee fans -- pretty much all of those not living in New Jersey -- would be angry. And while some might blame the team and take it out on the organization by no longer attending games, I had the feeling that most of them would blame New Jersey for stealing the Yankees.

Diving into Mets history

'69 pins

Earlier this week, I went to the Mets' website and searched for tickets to last night's game on Stubhub. I considered two seats in the front row of the Pepsi Porch -- I can't wait to sit there, hanging over right field -- but then when I checked the weather and saw 50 degrees and a chance of rain, I thought better of it. Instead, I bought Promenade Club tickets that also gave us access to the Acela Club -- providing us with three options (they had Caesar's Club access, too) to get out of the cold, rain and/or wind.

Smart planning, if I do say so myself, but I'll get to that. We arrived early to walk through the new Hall of Fame and Museum in the rotunda. Unlike Opening Day, there was no line, so we could take our time without being crowded. It's a great display of the team's history and a nice touch going into the club's 49th season, giving them some space to work with next year for any 50th anniversary exhibits they may consider.

I particularly enjoyed the uniform displays. There's a timeline that shows examples of each style worn throughout the team's history, plus more jerseys in the front to highlight various players and moments in the last 48 seasons. Looking at the sizing tags gives some idea of the evolution of ballplayers' physiques -- David Wright wears a 48 jersey, Tom Seaver wore 44, Jerry Grote caught in a 42 and Bud Harrelson sported a 38. Manufacturers and technology probably play a part in jersey sizing over the years, but I can't imagine there's a Major Leaguer today who wears anything smaller than a 44. And those who do go that low are the likes of Alex Cora (I checked on one of his game-worn jerseys for sale on the concourse, $200 for a white Coolbase version), not any pitchers of Cy Young ability.

I also dug the World Series press pins. The four from 1969, '73, '86 and 2000 are on display, and the '69 and '86 ones are also mounted at the center of the Commissioner's trophies. Compared to the sparse Yankees trophy in Trenton on Thursday night, these are blinged out. Of course, press pins are probably a thing of the past anyway.

Another historical touch comes as the result of the lineup's new display at the top of the escalators in the rotunda. Above a field level concession stand on the first-base side are nine Topps reproductions of former Mets: Keith Hernandez, Rusty Staub, Cleon Jones, Wally Backman, Ron Darling, Tug McGraw, Bernard Gilkey, Bud Harrelson and Robin Ventura. It's a fun collection to look at, both for the card designs and the players themselves ... except for Gilkey. Really? He's one of the nine Mets chosen for this display? The obvious question is, Why not Piazza? But there are a host of other candidates for the spot: Koosman, Matlack, Carter, Alfonzo, Garrett, HoJo, Mookie, Gooden, Strawberry, Knight, Olerud, even Hundley. Or even Nolan Ryan.

I didn't dwell on it much. From there, we went on to a pregame dinner at the Acela Club and watched the game from the Promenade Club, out of the wind, until the eighth, when we decided to split a Shackburger and didn't have to wait in line for it -- though did have to wait for them to make it. It was there as we waited when Jeff Francoeur hit his second home run of the game, establishing two interesting marks. It was the first four-homer game for the Mets at Citi Field and the first time two Mets hit two home runs each at home since Shea's first year, 1964. Earlier, while in the Promenade Club, I noticed a graphic on SNY that showed visitors hit 79 home runs at Shea in 2008 and 81 at Citi in 2009 -- perhaps another indicator that the Mets' lack of power in '09 was not because of their new ballpark but more an indication of their depleted lineup and, hopefully, a change in approach for the one constant in the lineup through the season, namely David Wright. So if Rod Barajas and Francoeur can hit two apiece and Wright can pound one off the wall on a chilly, windy night, I'm hopeful there's a rebound afoot this season.

Presidential players

For Presidents Day, I thought I'd go into the Baseball-Reference database and put together a roster of players and managers throughout history who share names with former presidents. I'm sure I'm not the first to compile such a list (and I did think of putting together a 25-man roster, by position, but got lazy -- which is fine). They're listed below in order of the most popular surnames. Each one includes honorable mentions for players whose given names -- first and middle -- are those of chief executives. I did not include any players/managers whose first names are the same as presidential last names (sorry, Madison Bumgarner, et al).

A few notes: Players listed as active (through 2009) by B-R are in bold, asterisks denote All-Stars and italics are Hall of Famers. Players with presidential surnames are listed with their common, known names (Bo Jackson, instead of Edward Vincent Jackson, for instance), but those with first and middle names of presidents have their full, given names listed (so you might not recognize Jonathan Tyler Lester, but it's Jon Lester). Those who are or were known by the same name as a president (Zachary Taylor is one) are in all caps, but those who share a name with a president but go by something else (Mike Adams was born Jon -- close enough -- Michael Adams) just have the given name noted in parentheses.

JOHNSON (106)
Abbie Johnson
Abe Johnson
Adam Johnson
Alex Johnson*
Art Johnson (1927)
Art Johnson (1940-42)
Ban Johnson (founder and president of American League; in HOF as pioneer/executive in 1937)
Bart Johnson
Ben Johnson (1959-60)
Ben Johnson (2005-07)
Bill Johnson (1884-92)
Bill Johnson (1916-17)
Bill Johnson (1983-84)
Billy Johnson*
Bob Johnson* (1933-45)
Bob Johnson (1960-70)
Bob Johnson (1969-77)
Bob Johnson (1981-83)
Brian Johnson
Caleb Johnson
Charles Johnson*
Charlie Johnson
Chet Johnson
Chief Johnson
Chris Johnson
Cliff Johnson
Connie Johnson
Dan Johnson
Dane Johnson
Darrell Johnson
Dave Johnson (1974-78)
Dave Johnson (1987-93)
Davey Johnson*
Deron Johnson
Don Johnson* (1943-48)
Don Johnson (1947-58)
Earl Johnson
Ed Johnson
Elliot Johnson
Elmer Johnson
Erik Johnson
Ernie Johnson (1912-25)
Ernie Johnson (1950-59)
Footer Johnson
Frank Johnson
Fred Johnson
Gary Johnson
Hank Johnson
Howard Johnson*
Jason Johnson
Jeff Johnson
Jerry Johnson
Jim Johnson (1970)
Jim Johnson (2006-)
Jing Johnson
Joe Johnson
John Johnson
John Henry Johnson
Johnny Johnson
Jonathan Johnson
Josh Johnson*
Judy Johnson
Keith Johnson
Kelly Johnson (Kelly Andrew Johnson)
Ken Johnson (1947-52)
Ken Johnson (1958-70)
Lamar Johnson
Lance Johnson*
Larry Johnson
Lloyd Johnson
Lou Johnson
Mark Johnson
Mark J. Johnson (2000)
Mark L. Johnson (1998-2008)
Mike Johnson (1974)
Mike Johnson (1997-2001)
Nick Johnson
Otis Johnson
Paul Johnson
Randy Johnson (1980-82)
Randy Johnson (1982-84)
Randy Johnson* (1988-2009)
Rankin Johnson (1914-18)
Rankin Johnson (1941)
Reed Johnson
Rob Johnson
Ron Johnson
Rondin Johnson
Rontrez Johnson
Roy Johnson (1918)
Roy Johnson (1929-38)
Roy Johnson (1982-85)
Russ Johnson
Si Johnson
Spud Johnson
Stan Johnson
Syl Johnson
Tim Johnson
Tom Johnson
Tony Johnson
Tyler Johnson
Vic Johnson
Wallace Johnson
Walt Johnson
Walter Johnson
Youngy Johnson

WILSON (70)
Archie Wilson
Art Wilson
Artie Wilson
Bill Wilson (1890-98)
Bill Wilson (1950-55)
Bill Wilson (1969-73)
Bob Wilson
Bobby Wilson
Brian Wilson*
C.J. Wilson
Charlie Wilson (Charles Woodrow Wilson)
Chief Wilson
Craig Wilson (1989-93)
Craig Wilson (1998-2000)
Craig Wilson (2001-2007)
Dan Wilson*
Desi Wilson
Don Wilson*
Duane Wilson
Earl Wilson
Eddie Wilson
Enrique Wilson
Fin Wilson
Frank Wilson
Gary Wilson (1902)
Gary Wilson (1979)
Gary Wilson (1995)
George Wilson
Glenn Wilson*
Grady Wilson
Hack Wilson
Henry Wilson
Highball Wilson
Icehouse Wilson
Jack Wilson (1934-42)
Jack Wilson* (2001-)
Jim Wilson* (1945-58)
Jim Wilson (1985-89)
Jimmie Wilson*
John Wilson (1913)
John Wilson (1927-28)
Josh Wilson
Jud Wilson
Kris Wilson
Les Wilson
Max Wilson
Mike Wilson
Mookie Wilson
Mutt Wilson
Neil Wilson
Nigel Wilson
Parke Wilson
Paul Wilson
Pete Wilson
Preston Wilson*
Red Wilson
Roy Wilson
Squanto Wilson
Steve Wilson
Tack Wilson
Tex Wilson
Tom Wilson (1914-14)
Tom Wilson (2001-04)
Trevor Wilson
Tug Wilson
Vance Wilson
Walter Wilson
Willie Wilson*
Willy Wilson
Zeke Wilson

Honorable mention:
Woodrow Wilson (Woody) Davis
Woodrow Wilson (Woody) Williams (1938-45)

TAYLOR (50)
Aaron Taylor
Arlas Taylor
Ben Taylor (1912)
Ben Taylor (1951-55)
Ben "Old Reliable" Taylor
Bill Taylor
Billy Taylor (1881-87)
Billy Taylor (1898)
Billy Taylor (1994-2001)
Bob Taylor
Bruce Taylor
Carl Taylor
Chink Taylor
Chuck Taylor
Danny Taylor
Dorn Taylor
Dummy Taylor
Dwight Taylor
Ed Taylor (1903)
Ed Taylor (1926)
Fred Taylor
Gary Taylor
George Taylor
Graham Taylor
Harry Taylor (1890-93)
Harry Taylor (1932)
Harry Taylor (1946-52)
Harry Taylor (1957)
Hawk Taylor
Jack Taylor (1891-99)
Jack Taylor (1898-1907)
Joe Taylor
Kerry Taylor
Leo Taylor
Live Oak Taylor
Pete Taylor
Reggie Taylor
Ron Taylor
Sammy Taylor
Sandy Taylor
Scott Taylor (1992-93)
Scott Taylor (1995)
Terry Taylor
Tommy Taylor
Tony Taylor*
Wade Taylor
Wiley Taylor
ZACHARY TAYLOR
Zack Taylor

Honorable mention:
Zachary Taylor Shafer

JACKSON (34)
Al Jackson
Bill Jackson
Bo Jackson*
Charlie Jackson
Chuck Jackson
Conor Jackson
Damian Jackson
Danny Jackson*
Darrell Jackson
Darrin Jackson
Edwin Jackson*
George Jackson
Grant Jackson*
Henry Jackson
Herbert Jackson
Jim Jackson
Shoeless Joe Jackson
John Jackson
Ken Jackson
Larry Jackson*
Lou Jackson
Mike Jackson (1970-73)
Mike Jackson (1986-2004
Randy Jackson
Reggie Jackson
Ron Jackson (1954-60)
Ron Jackson (1975-84)
Roy Lee Jackson
Ryan Jackson
Sam Jackson
Sonny Jackson
Steven Jackson
Travis Jackson
Zach Jackson

Honorable mention:
Andrew Jackson Bednar
Andrew Jackson Dunning
Andrew Jackson Knox
Andrew Jackson Leonard
Andrew Jackson Reese

ADAMS (28)
Ace Adams*
Babe Adams
Bert Adams
Bob Adams (1925)
Bob Adams (1931-1932)
Bob Adams (1977)
Bobby Adams
Buster Adams
Dan Adams
Dick Adams
Doug Adams
George Adams
Glenn Adams
Herb Adams
Jim Adams
Joe Adams
Karl Adams
Mike Adams (1972-78) (Jon Michael Adams)
Mike Adams (2004-)
Red Adams
Rick Adams
Ricky Adams
Russ Adams
Sparky Adams (Earl John Adams)
Spencer Adams
Terry Adams
Willie Adams (1912-1919)
Willie Adams (1996-1997)

Honorable mention for our sixth president:
John Quincy Adams Strick (1882)

KENNEDY (22)
Adam Kennedy
Bill Kennedy (1942-47)
Bill Kennedy (1948-57)
Bob Kennedy (1939-1957)
Brickyard Kennedy
Doc Kennedy
Ed Kennedy (1883-86)
Ed Kennedy (1884)
Ian Kennedy
Jim Kennedy (1970)
Jim Kennedy (manager, years unknown)
Joe Kennedy
JOHN KENNEDY (1957) (John Irvin Kennedy)
JOHN KENNEDY (1962-74) (John Edward Kennedy)
Junior Kennedy
Kevin Kennedy
Monte Kennedy
Ray Kennedy (Raymond Lincoln Kennedy; double presidents!)
Snapper Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Terry Kennedy*
Vern Kennedy*

FORD (16)
Ben Ford
Bill Ford
Curt Ford
Dan Ford
Dave Ford
Ed Ford
Gene Ford (1905)
Gene Ford (1936-38)
Hod Ford
Lew Ford
Matt Ford
Russ Ford
Ted Ford
Tom Ford
Wenty Ford
Whitey Ford

CARTER (14)
Andy Carter
Arnold Carter
Blackie Carter
Chris Carter
Gary Carter
Howie Carter
Jeff Carter
Joe Carter*
Lance Carter*
Larry Carter
Nick Carter
Paul Carter
Sol Carter
Steve Carter

HAYES (10)
Ben Hayes
Bill Hayes
Brett Hayes
Charlie Hayes
Frankie Hayes*
Jackie Hayes (1882-90)
Jackie Hayes (1927-40)
Jim Hayes
John Hayes
Von Hayes*

GRANT (8)
Eddie Grant
Frank Grant (Ulysses Franklin Grant)
George Grant
Jim Grant
Jimmy Grant
Mark Grant
Mudcat Grant*
Tom Grant

Honorable mention:
Ulysses Simpson Grant "Stoney" McGlynn
Ulysses Simpson Grant "Lil" Stoner
Grant Thatcher (Ulysses Grant Thatcher)

PIERCE (8)
Billy Pierce
Ed Pierce
Gracie Pierce
Jack Pierce
Jeff Pierce
Maury Pierce
Ray Pierce
Tony Pierce

Honorable mention:
Franklin Pierce Harter
Monty Franklin Pierce Stratton

WASHINGTON (7)
Claudell Washington*
George Washington (Sloan Vernon Washinton, but B-R lists him as George)
Herb Washington
La Rue Washington
Rico Washington
Ron Washington
U L Washington

Honorable mention:
George Washington Baumgardner
George Washington Bradley (1875-88)
George Washington Bradley (1946)
George Washington Case*
George Washington Crosby
George Washington Davies
George Washington Harper
George Washington Henry
George Washington Keefe
George Washington "Jumbo" McGinnis
George Washington Merritt
George Washington Noftsker
George Washington Payne
George Washington Paynter
George Washington "Hack" Simmons
George Washington "Buck" Stanton
George Washington Wilson
George Washington "Zip" Zabel

HARRISON (7)
Ben Harrison
Bob Harrison
Chuck Harrison
Matt Harrison
Rit Harrison
Roric Harrison
Tom Harrison

Honorable mention:
William Henry Harrison Geer
Benjamin Harrison Taylor (1912)
Benjamin Harrison "Old Reliable" Taylor (dates unknown; Negro leagues player and Hall of Famer)
Benjamin Harrison Van Dyke

MONROE (6)
Craig Monroe
Ed Monroe
Frank Monroe
John Monroe
Larry Monroe
Zach Monroe

NIXON (6)
Al Nixon (Albert Richard Nixon, yet he played from 1915-28. Nickname was Humpty Dumpty)
Donell Nixon
Otis Nixon
Russ Nixon
Trot Nixon
Willard Nixon

BUSH (6)
David Bush
Donie Bush
Guy Bush
Homer Bush
Joe Bush
Randy Bush

JEFFERSON (3)
Jesse Jefferson
Reggie Jefferson
Stan Jefferson

Honorable mention:
Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges* (Double-historical naming!)
Thomas Jefferson Dowd
Thomas Jefferson Gulley
Joseph Jefferson "Shoeless Joe" Jackson
Thomas Jefferson Jordan
Thomas Jefferson Pratt
Thomas Jefferson Raub
Thomas Jefferson Sullivan
Thomas Jefferson York

MADISON (3)
Art Madison
Dave Madison
Scotti Madison

Honorable mention:
James Madison Holloway
James Emmett Madison Holt
James Madison Pearce
James Madison Toy

TYLER (3)
Fred Tyler
Johnnie Tyler (John Anthony Tyler)
Lefty Tyler

Honorable mention:
Jonathan Tyler Lester

BUCHANON (3)
Bob Buchanan
Brian Buchanan
Jim Buchanan (James Forrest Buchanan)

VAN BUREN (2)
Deacon Van Buren
Jermaine Van Buren

Honorable mention:
Martin Van Buren (Marty) Walker

LINCOLN (2)
Ezra Lincoln
Mike Lincoln

Honorable mention:
Abraham Lincoln "Sweetbreads" Bailey (best nickname ever?)
Abraham Lincoln Wade
Abraham Lincoln Wolstenholme

CLEVELAND (2)
Elmer Cleveland
Reggie Cleveland

Honorable mention:
Grover Cleveland Alexander

CLINTON (2)
Jim Clinton
Lou Clinton

Honorable mention:
Williams Clinton (Bill) Zepp

GARFIELD (1)
Bill Garfield

Honorable mention:
James Garfield (John) Durham

HARDING (1)
Charlie Harding

POLK (0)

Only Wes Chamberlain comes close to an honorable mention; his given name is Wesley Polk Chamberlain.

FILLMORE (0)
Though there is one minor league record for a player in 1909 whose first name is not known.

ARTHUR (0)
Honorable mentions:
Chester Arthur Crist
Chester Arthur Emerson

McKINLEY (0)
Honorable mention:
William McKinley "Pinky" Hargrave
William McKinley "Max" Venable

ROOSEVELT (0)
Honorable mention:
Roosevelt Brown
Theodore Roosevelt (Ted) Lilly*
Jack Roosevelt (Jackie) Robinson
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Ted) Wieand

TAFT (0)
Honorable mention:
Taft Shedron "Taffy" Wright

COOLIDGE (0)
Honorable mention:
Calvin Coolidge (Cal) Ermer
Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma (Cal) McLish*

TRUMAN (0)
Honorable mention:
Truman Eugene "Tex" Clevenger
John Truman Wasdin

EISENHOWER (0)
Honorable mention:
A Charlie Eisenhower played for the Laredo Broncos of the independent United League in 2006.

REAGAN (0)
Honorable mention:
Douglas Reagan Ault

Art Wilson and Gary Carter deserve mention as being active in the Majors for the entire term of the presidents who share their surnames. Others active for a portion of "their" presidents' tenures include: Chief Wilson, Fin Wilson, John Wilson, Mutt Wilson, Squanto Wilson, 1914 Tom Wilson, John Edward Kennedy, Dan Ford, David and Homer Bush (George W. Bush) and Randy Bush (George H.W. Bush).

Little Old New York

The still image above is from a British tourism film about New York City in 1963. Along with scenes from Idlewild (pre-JFK) Airport, Chinatown and the downtown skyline is a segment on Yankee Stadium. The footage was taken on July 25, 1963, which was the only home game against the Angels that year started by left-hander Al Downing. The announced attendance was 15,716, but it appears the actual figure was a bit less. There's also a segment near the end about the construction of the World's Fair attractions -- including the Unisphere -- for the 1964-65 exposition. (Thanks to Uniwatch for pointing out this video.)

LITTLE OLD NEW YORK

No run for New York on the offing

The Jets' run may be over, but there is a fabulous George Vecsey column from yesterday that is worth a look. (It was one of those times where I had opened the story in a tab to read it, but then the day got away from me and there it sat, until this morning.) It was written to note how the Jets' 1969 Super Bowl win sparked a run of three championships for New York City in 1969-70, with the Mets and Knicks to follow, plus it has that awesome AP photo above showing Tom Seaver and Dick Schaap on Joe Namath's TV show.

But it's as much about the Mets as it is the Jets and it includes this disheartening passage:

The more I think about it, no miracle could resuscitate the current Mets.

This franchise has exhausted all the good karma from Casey Stengel, Marvelous Marv Throneberry, the sainted Hodges, the mix-and-match tourists of 1969, Mookie’s mad moment in 1986. There is no Seaver among this bunch, and no Payson, either.

And who can argue? There's only one Stengel, but the closest to him might've been Yogi Berra. The late-century/new-century equivalent might be Bobby Valentine.

Throneberry, though not an Original Met (he came to New York from Baltimore in May 1962), is akin to Jeff Conine being Mr. Marlin -- a member of the expansion team who will always be associated with it despite not necessarily putting up impressive numbers.

There are no characters to lighten the mood among the Mets' reserves (Jose Reyes is too good, and a starter).

A Hodges equivalent? Maybe Joe Torre, but he's on his last managerial job, and he's already had his run in Queens.

The Mookie moment? It could've been Endy Chavez's catch in the 2006 NLCS, but the team couldn't capitalize on it.

Johan Santana, as good as he is, can't compare to Seaver. The Mets are still looking for their first homegrown ace since ... Doc Gooden!? (And Mark Sanchez can't match up to Seaver for the Jets, because unlike Seaver, he didn't turn around the fortunes of the franchise. That was more Rex Ryan's touch.)

And no one's ever going to think back upon the Wilpons' tenure as owners with fond memories, now are they?

The one thing the Mets may have is the mix-and-match thing going. Sadly, it's more of the ragtag variety than any semblance of a team. Not unlike the mid-2000s Yankees, the Mets are going out and getting players, but they're not building a team. The Mariners improved by 24 wins in 2009 (from 61 to 85) while the Mets regressed by 19 (89 to 70) because they adopted a new philosophy and stuck to it. Omar Minaya's been preaching a team built on pitching since he got the job, but we've yet to see him stick to that plan with any consistency. He certainly made an effort last winter, but injuries undermined him. This offseason, it's as if that plan has been scrapped.

Now batting, numbah two ...

Derek Jeter tied Mickey Mantle on Sunday night for the most at-bats in Yankees history: 8,102. That minor milestone doesn't really do much for me.

Next year is when it will be interesting. To this point in his career, Jeter compiled those 8,102 at-bats in 9,173 plate appearances. As this season progresses, he'll pass Babe Ruth (9,197 plate appearances) and probably Lou Gehrig (9,660) to move into second place on that list. And then, sometime in 2010, Jeter will step to the plate for the 9,910th time in pinstripes (or in gray polyester -- or CoolBase, if the Yankees are on the road) -- and pass Mantle. At that point, no player will have stood in the batter's box as a Yankee more than Derek Jeter.

And that will be something. Think about it: In all of Yankees lore, from Ruth to Gehrig to DiMaggio to Yogi to Mantle to Reggie to Mattingly to Jeter, of all those Hall of Famers and legends, it will be Jeter -- the most recent icon -- with more Yankees experience than any other. Ruth and Gehrig, Joe D. and Yogi, they're all larger-than-life. Many of us have seen only black-and-white photos or old footage. But Jeter is in HD (though his haircut somehow remains stuck in the early 90s). Yankees history books will literally have to be rewritten, because No. 2 will be greater than 3, 4, 5 or 7 in many ways.

They'll have to do more than just retire his number, but I'm sure they planned for that when they laid out the new Monument Park.

Classy Kalas

One of my friends didn't believe my sincerity when I expressed my condolences on Harry Kalas' passing and added that I considered him the classiest member of the Phillies organization. Coming from a Mets fan, he said it was an empty expression.

I said I was sorry if it came off that way, but it's true. Of all the people I met covering the BlueClaws, Kalas was the one I was most excited to come across. (OK, maybe top two, because Tug McGraw was pretty sweet, too. But Tug was more the guy's guy -- I'm not sure too many people would put him under the "classy" column, and I'm not saying that is a detriment to his character.) But somewhere, I still have the mini cassette with the Kalas interview on it.

Plus, as my Yankee fan boss will tell you, I'm a baseball fan first and a Mets fan second. I certainly appreciate the game's history and icons, and Kalas certainly was that. Among the others I met who I'd consider classy are Ryan Howard, owner Dave Montgomery, former assistant GM Mike Arbuckle, former Lakewood manager Jeff Manto, Marlon Anderson and the late former pitching instructor Johnny Podres.

The Mets put Kalas' image on the video screen before the home opener on Monday and mentioned the death of Mark Fidrych ("Moments ago we also learned of ..."). They were a sadly recent addition to the annual moment of silence the team has to start the Opening Day festivities each year honoring those who have passed away since the last game.

I've got much more to say about what was a mostly pleasant return to baseball in Queens, but just didn't have the chance today, mostly because I focused on the photos first. That post, I hope, will come tomorrow.

Stories of Seaver and Ryan on the Network

I've been watching MLB Network here and there, both at work and at home, and I really should start keeping it on in the background or as my default channel for idle loafing. ("Idle loafing" -- not oxymoronic, just hyper-loaf-like.)

First, there was the second part of an interview with Tom Seaver on "MLB Tonight" in which he talks about the Hall of Fame's Induction Weekend. The best part -- his favorite part, he said -- is the Sunday night dinner. There are only three types of people allowed into the room: Hall of Famers, the Commissioner of baseball and the president of the Hall of Fame (and, presumably, the catering staff, so I guess that's four types).

If I could have access to any room anywhere in the world -- perhaps at any time in history -- that room would be in the top five. Off the top of my head, I'd add: Independence Hall when they were hashing out the Declaration of Independence; the Oval Office at some seminal moment in history, perhaps when FDR learned about Pearl Harbor (or when, if the legend is true, he learned of a possible attack ahead of time and decided to let it happen to justify entering the U.S. into World War II); a pop-culture moment or two, like when Bruce Springsteen met Clarence Clemons or played "Thunder Road" for the first time, or when Jack Kerouac met Allen Ginsberg or Neal Cassady; and the ballroom or wherever Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "Mountaintop" speech the night before he was killed.

But back to the Hall of Famers dinner. Can you imagine that room? Seaver, Bob Gibson, Stan Musial, Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, Ralph Kiner, Hank Aaron. And so many more. But maybe I wouldn't want to be in that room some day -- because it would mean I'd have to leave.

Later on the Network -- now, actually, as I wrap up at the office -- is a re-airing of Nolan Ryan's seventh no-hitter, from May 1, 1991. I remember reading about it the next morning. In New Jersey, of course, we didn't get the game on TV, and there was no MLB.TV or Extra Innings package on cable (not that my family had cable in 1991). It doesn't even appear that it aired locally in Texas. I've only been half-listening, but I got the impression that this was the Blue Jays broadcast. Part of what led me to that conclusion was one announcer -- the color commentator, so presumably a former player (he sounds young, and not like a veteran TV/radio man) -- noted how Ryan grunted when he threw his fastball. "Nolan only grunts on the fastball. As a hitter, if you can pick up on that, you know it's a fastball. He doesn't grunt when he throws a curveball."

But then there's the matter of physics -- light travels faster than sound, so by the time the batter hears the grunt, it's too late to catch up to the fastball.

Farewell to "MVP 55"

A quick memory of Johnny Podres, who died over the weekend at 75:

Summer of 2001, I'm driving down to Lakewood, N.J., to cover the BlueClaws in a game that night. On the Garden State Parkway, I pass a Cadillac or Lincoln or some other luxury car type that's common with grandfathers. Think Jerry Seinfeld's dad on the show. In this instance, the New York plates on the bumper read "MVP 55." Clearly a personalized tag, I try to catch a glimpse of the driver, but can't really make him out. The rest of the drive, I'm trying to remember if I have any idea who the MVPs in 1955 could have been. (Roy Campanella and Yogi Berra, by the way, and I think I got Berra, but I knew he lives in New Jersey.) Remembering that Podres continued to be a Spring Training instructor with the Phillies, I wondered if that could be him, heading down to visit their lower Class-A team.

Down at the ballpark, I'm making my pregame rounds of the clubhouse and walk into manager Greg Legg's office.

"Dan, have you met Johnny Podres?" Legg asks me.

A gracious and funny interviewee, Podres, of course, makes it into my notebook that day and I check off another baseball legend I've met on my mental roster.

Here's that notebook entry:

THRILL RIDE: Johnny Podres, the 1955 World Series MVP for the Brooklyn Dodgers, remembers riding the Cyclones' namesake.

"When I got to Brooklyn, I went over to Coney Island and rode the Cyclone," said Podres, who works for the Phillies as a part-time roving pitching instructor. "We were sitting right in the front. What a ride."

While a short-season Class A team back in the borough does have historical interest, it won't be quite the same, Podres said.

"It's not gonna be like Brooklyn," Podres said while discussing curveball grips with Lakewood pitching coach Rod Nichols in the clubhouse Saturday. "At least it gives them a team in Brooklyn. They've got their foot in the door, you wonder what can happen from there. But I doubt it."

There used to be a ballpark: Hinchliffe Stadium

Bordering Maple Street, Paterson

Here, the ghosts of past indiscretions -- others' indiscretions -- still play. Tucked into a corner of Paterson, New Jersey, stands a massive stadium now overgrown with more than just grass and weeds. Trees sprout from the bleachers, shrubs grow on the benches. It should be hard to miss, such a huge multipurpose arena that stretches two blocks in one direction. But it's nestled into a hill, never appearing more than a story high, tucked behind a four-story school that looms over it like a fortress.

Not far from another corner lies one of New Jersey's great natural and industrial landmarks, the Great Falls of the Passaic, a spot of historical significance in the life of Alexander Hamilton and in the industrial history of America. But from the falls, Hinchliffe Stadium looks like another abandoned industrial relic, a dilapidated warehouse complex or a facade fronting a high school football field.

At one time, that's what Hinchliffe was, home to Paterson Eastside High School teams. It's where Larry Doby played before the Newark Eagles signed him, setting the stage for his Hall of Fame career that began with the Cleveland Indians.

Grafitti and turnstiles

Now, the stadium lies in crumbling decay. A walk down Maple St. allows for a peak into vandalized restrooms and gated entryways, the white of the stadium walls nearly blinding in the sun, yet splashed with the color of graffiti on nearly every open space within arm's reach. Curiously, the spray-painting Picassos seemed to have left the outside facade as pristine as the day the stadium opened, 75 years ago this September, when a coordinated effort under the cover of night could clearly have allowed an adept artist the opportunity to leave his mark there as well. Perhaps they did, only to have their efforts plastered over, but it is inside where their work remains, giving Hinchliffe the appearance of a plausibly functional structure upon first glance, saving its true identity and sad state of decay only for those who take the time to venture closer.

Hinchliffe Stadium ticket windows

The ornate tiles marking the ticket windows and the bronze reliefs of track and field athletes of various pursuits preserve time and tag the stadium as a great multi-use facility, one that regularly and easily hosted baseball, football, soccer, track and field, boxing, concerts and any number of other forms of entertainment and recreation. It's not hard to imagine passing by the gates on a hot summer night 50 or 60 years ago and hearing the roar of the crowd flow over the walls into the streets of Paterson.

I walked the length of Maple St. along the outer wall of the stadium. At the parking area at the bottom, I took the path that led to the overlook at the falls, the stadium blending into its surroundings more with each step I took. Looking back from the falls, the stadium was a simple white wall running up the block, a grove of trees stretching to meet it at the lowest corner. As I returned to my car, I followed a path at this point and found the lower end of the stadium closed off by merely a chain-link fence. Here my view was uninterrupted, save for the metal strands of the fence and the piles of brush and the growing weeds and saplings along the boundary. I stood at the far turn of the track, a light dusting of snow covering the Astroturf field, a blue shipping container somewhere near midfield, perhaps abandoned after a cleanup attempt or maybe the last remnant of what could have been the stadium's last, most recent purpose: storage, or a parking lot of sorts.

There used to be a ballpark

There is a movement backed by New Jersey's representatives in Congress to have the Great Falls Historic District established as a National Park, Hinchliffe Stadium included. Perhaps someday, the stadium can be cleaned up, renovated to an extent, re-opened for tours or maybe even games once again. Any refurbishment would serve as an adequate reminder, a fitting tribute to those who performed there, from Doby and Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige to Duke Ellington and Lou Costello and the high school students who played on that field for decades.

Today, if you go there and look out on the overgrown field and dilapidated bleachers, you can imagine the ghostly figures rounding the bases, the fans leaping to their feet to cheer, the sun sinking behind the school on the hill to the west. Hinchliffe Stadium feels old. It feels important and poignant, yet it also feels dirty and disgusting, the acrid smell of decay and neglect -- of disrespect -- having seeped into the cracks in the concrete and overwhelming what remains of the structure. What could be a venerated landmark in the history of New Jersey, the progress of America, instead remains just another boarded-up relic, another glaring example of disrespect and neglect.

Ballpark impressions: Yankee Stadium

I, of course, haven't hidden the fact that I'm a Mets fan. Nor have I made any attempt at being discrete in my distaste for the Yankees.


The olden days, with obstructed-view seats and the facade.
However, I have a deep appreciation for baseball, for the game and its history and for the dichotomy of how the game can be so simple -- throw, hit, run, safe or out -- yet so intricately complicated -- infield fly, double-switch, hit-and-run. I love looking at the sepia-toned or black-and-white images of baseball played only during the day (and, unfortunately for too long, only by white men) and I have it in my mind to establish a modest collection of black-and-white photographs of old ballparks. But that should probably wait for a new home and more wall space on which to display such an exhibition.

I love going to Wrigley Field or Fenway Park not just for the baseball and the talent on display these days, but for the unique feeling -- the icky, sticky feeling of layers of paint slathered over decades-old concrete tunnels and iron railings and the overhanging upper decks and small, darkened concourses. When walking into those ballparks, I feel like I'm walking through history, entering a structure that has been standing for 90 years.


Tight quarters.
I get the same sense navigating Yankee Stadium's tunnels, only the sensation leaves me the moment I walk out into the sunshine and see all that gleaming blue and find myself enclosed in a behemoth of a ballpark. Yankee Stadium was renovated in 1976, the same year I was born, so I didn't get to experience it as a 50-year-old relic, a monument to the dynasties and the days of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle. I don't know how it looked with Death Valley to left-center, what the original configuration looked like or just how much ground the Yankee Clipper had to cover.


The emerald diamond.
I've only known it as the home of Mattingly, Winfield, Pagliarulo, Bernie and Jeter. Yet I can appreciate the need to give Yankee Stadium the All-Star Game in its final season.

But to me, it's a 1970s multipurpose stadium since converted to full-time baseball use. It's not the dump that Shea Stadium is -- though I do love every trip to Queens, particularly because I don't have to fight off too many urges to overindulge on lukewarm food and overpriced crappy beer -- but it's not far off. I'm sorry, but I just don't get that nostalgic, historical feeling when I walk in, and no amount of camera angles or new black-and-white shots can change that.


Way out in left field.
Nearly two years ago, I used a day off I had during the week to go to a Yankees-Devil Rays matinee. (It turned out to be the last time Carl Pavano pitched at home for the Yankees -- June 22, 2005.) Though no plans had been announced yet for a new ballpark, my intentions were to take my camera to spend some time shooting the nooks and crannies, capturing the intricacies of a classic ballpark before its days are numbered. They are, of course, now numbered -- two seasons, 162 scheduled regular-season home games, plus an undetermined number of postseason contests are all that remain before the new ballpark opens in 2009. Finding the historic, old-timey corners is what I was hoping to accomplish, but in my long absence, I'd forgotten just what the park actually looked like.


Monuments in play.

It had been a couple of years since I'd been to the ballpark in the Bronx, and so my memories of it were not consistent with current reality. For one, I hadn't yet been to a post-9/11 game at Yankee Stadium, so I found that I had to consult a certain member of the security detail at a certain gate in order to bring my camera bag inside. Arriving just as the gates opened for batting practice, I was dismayed by two new discoveries. First, the line for Monument Park -- which I've never visited in all my trips -- was way too long to allow for an enjoyable, leisurely look while still leaving time to enjoy batting practice. I can remember games in the 80s when there was no line and it appeared that you had more than enough time to take in all the plaques that are on display.


Soon to be a new stadium over that way.
The other saddening discovery was the high netting that runs beyond the visitors' dugout and prevents foul balls from reaching the seats down the left-field line. It also stops fans from leaning over the wall to scoop up grounders that come down the line, a treat my friends and I always enjoyed during BP. (Except for that time in eighth grade when I had a cast on my left arm. I managed to get my glove on and hoped to finally get my first batting practice foul ball. On my best shot, I had it lined up until the last moment, when some dirtbag bratty Yankee fan deliberately knocked my glove out of the way with his free hand and grabbed the ball with his own glove right after it passed the spot where my mitt had been waiting. I hope that jerk is miserable at a dead-end desk job while I spend my days at what many would consider a dream job.)

Anyway, Yankee Stadium is far from what it was, not that I ever knew it that way. I wish I did. Instead, I can only look at the past in photographs and try my best to compose shots I can enjoy whenever I make it back there myself. But I look forward to exploring the new ballpark, which will be given a classic look, complete with elements from the original Yankee Stadium design.


It barely looks like the same stadium.
The entry way is what I'm most interested in. It once had a grand facade out front, a towering, regal welcome area that, I imagine, seemed to announce you were entering some place special. Now, you approach from a parking garage with a skywalk over the underwhelming plaza.

So many of the fans there today know less of this grand stadium's past than I do. The kids have grown up knowing nothing but Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and division titles. They're spoiled, actually. In the 80s, the Yankees were regular outdrawn by the Mets, and it's almost unbelievable that Yankee Stadium never saw 3 million fans pass through its turnstiles in one season until 1998. And who knows how many fans would've showed up for a Sunday afternoon game against the Twins were it not for a Beanie Baby giveaway; otherwise, who knows how packed the park would've been for David Wells' perfect game.

So it's not a bad idea to give the 2008 All-Star Game to the venerable old structure in the Bronx. Give it one last hurrah. It's not like the Yankees have hosted it once a decade; the last one in New York was in 1977, the first season after the renovation. (The Mets hosted it at Shea Stadium once, in 1964, that stadium's first year.) Teams must request the game, and neither franchise has expressed much of a desire to have an All-Star Game in the past 30 years.

The 2009 game will go to St. Louis, which just opened Busch Stadium III this past season, and you have to figure that the frontrunner for the 2010 contest would be the new ballpark in Washington, where the All-Star Game would be held for the first time since 1969. The 2011 Midsummer Classic could potentially go to the new Cisco Field in Oakland -- if it is open by then. Otherwise, shortly after that year, when it is up and running. Is four or five years too soon to have it in the same area as the 2007 game, which will be in San Francisco? Possibly, though Philadelphia and Pittsburgh hosted in 1996 and 1994, respectively, with Pittsburgh of course getting it again this past season. The Twins might want it some year, if they ever get started on their new ballpark. And the Mets, should they want it, would get it sometime before 2015, showing off Citi Field, which is sure to be a gem of a facility that will quickly make us all forget about Shea Stadium.