Home run for Yankees with win over Blue Jays
Rodriguez homered in his third straight game and Mussina made another sharp start, leading the New York Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 Wednesday.
New York is 7-7 after playing 11 of 14 on the road. The Yankees host Baltimore on Friday night in the start of a nine-game homestand.
"We would love to be 9-5 or something like that," Rodriguez said. "But we've been on the road for basically 14 days. We're very excited to get home."
Rodriguez said the road start was OK given that the Yankees traveled to Oakland, the Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota and Toronto — all possible postseason contenders.
"There's probably eight or nine teams that are legitimate World Series contenders in the American League, and that's very unique because you probably haven't had that in over 20 years," Rodriguez said. "There is great parity in the American League. There are probably three teams in each division that can potentially win the World Series."
Rodriguez homered in the fifth inning, tying Juan Gonzalez for 35th on baseball's career list with his 434th homer. Rodriguez is hitting .462 (12 for 26) in New York's wins and .148 (4 for 27) in its losses.
He arrived early before the game to work on his swing.
"I'm getting more comfortable," he said.
Mussina (2-1) struck out a season-high seven in 7-1/3 innings, allowing one run and seven hits. He lowered his earned-run average to 2.67.
"It was a masterpiece," New York manager Joe Torre said. "He's as good as we've seen him early in the year."
Kyle Farnsworth got the last two outs of the eighth and Mariano Rivera, bouncing back from Saturday's loss in Minnesota, pitched a perfect ninth for his second save.
"That's the way you draw it up," Mussina said.
Mussina knows his team is counting on him and Randy Johnson to pitch well despite their ages. Johnson is 42, Mussina 37.
"We're the old guys, and everybody keeps reminding us," Mussina said. "If the two of us can do what we've been doing for the last 16 or 18 years, then that's great."
Toronto manager John Gibbons said it was just Mussina's day.
"When he's on, he keeps you off balance. He picked the plate apart," Gibbons said.
Former Yankee Ted Lilly (1-1) gave up two runs, seven hits and five walks in five innings.
New York Mets Pay Tribute to Number 42
There are rare moments on the baseball diamond when what happens there before the game matters more than what happens during it. One of those times occurred yesterday at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York, when the New York Mets organization honored the late Jackie Robinson on the 59th anniversary of the day he started playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, thus knocking down the hideous color barrier in baseball once and for all.
The sun was shining gloriously on this day at Shea, reminding me of those best days I've had there in my youth when the Mets were winning big games. I also remember moments of tribute like this, mostly for players like Rusty Staub or Mike Piazza. I don't remember if the Mets won games on those days, but I will never forget the way the Mets honored those people. That lasts forever.
It was only last week that I wrote an article about how I hoped the new stadium for the New York Mets would be named for Jackie Robinson. I wrote of the obvious connections between Brooklyn Dodger fans and Mets fans, how in my family and countless others like mine that the love, sweat, and tears once shed for the beloved Brooklyn Bums had been transposed to the equally loved Amazins of Queens.
There is a fierce loyalty amongst Mets fans, but that also extends to a sort of kinship with the essence of Dodger memory. Besides great former Dodger players either having played for or coached or managed the Mets, there is the supreme and transcending legacy of 1955: the year the Boys of Summer took on the Bronx Bombers and shook their ivory tower by winning the World Series. No Mets fan alive isn't still happy about that or not looking forward to the day (perhaps in October 2006) when the Mets can return the favor to the old boys in Dodger blue and send Torre, Jeter, and company home with their tails between their legs.
So yesterday there was one of those timeless days of honor and tradition. Huge Number 42 logos were painted on the field, and there was Willie Randolph standing in the sunshine with Rachel Robinson, Jackie's widow, along with president of Major League Baseball Bob DuPuy. I felt the thrill of sweet serendipity as Willie, native son of Brooklyn and orange and blue in the blood Mets fan growing up, stood there with Mrs. Robinson. How fitting that the first black manager of the New York Mets stood there with the wife of the first black player in baseball, who also happened to be a Brooklyn Dodger!
Randolph, who has the same grace and dignity for which Jackie Robinson was so well known, explained that he has pictures of Jackie in his office at Shea and thinks about him every day. And well he should, for because of Jackie Robinson there are so many talented players of color in all sports, enhancing the playing level and enjoyment of the game.
Of course, Jackie Robinson is synonymous with opening doors both figurative and literal, and that is why the Jackie Robinson Foundation established in his honor has provided college scholarships to over 1000 needy students in the past 25 years. One of those students, currently studying at Rutgers, was there to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Just for the record, the student was white, and I think that speaks well for Jackie's legacy. He is one of the most significant figures in baseball history not just because he was the first black man to play in the majors, but more because he stood for opportunity for all.
The ceremony was touching yet without pomp and circumstance, which seemed to me to be just the way Jackie would have wanted it. Still and all the images of Jackie that flashed on the huge DiamondVision in the outfield sent a powerful and lasting message of accomplishment.
I know the Mets lost that game yesterday, but that's not what is important. Ten or more years from now I will remember the indelible moment of Randolph and Rachel Robinson basking in the sunshine, of a young girl who got the chance to go to college and also throw a ball on the field at Shea, and I will recall that day was all about what mattered most: honoring the legacy of one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
Jackie Robinson Field
The City of New York and the New York Mets have unveiled plans for the new stadium that will replace Shea Stadium on Opening Day in 2009. One major question is this: what should be the name of this new park? Shea Stadium was named for lawyer William Shea, whom Mayor Lindsay at the time noted was the most instrumental person in getting the place built, thus the appellation for the place that the Mets have called home for 42 years was odd but understandable; however, they will have to give the new stadium a different name, and I believe it should be Jackie Robinson Field.
The connections between the New York Mets and the Brooklyn Dodgers are quite tangible and most vivid for Mets fans, especially those persons who are 55 years old and older. Just like our Mets, the Brooklyn Dodgers were the underdog team in a city dominated by the damn Yankees across the river. They were a blue-collar team to be sure (as Newsday sportswriter Jon Heyman has noted, the Yankees are "about as blue-collar as Monte Carlo"), having a deep fan base in the poor and working classes in Brooklyn, Queens, and later Long Island. While they had some amazing players over the years (Duke Snider no doubt being their best all-around player, eventually rivaling Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle as the top centerfielder in baseball), none had such a visceral and long-lasting impact as Jackie Robinson.
Whatever the motivation was for Branch Rickey to sign Robinson (and I have heard many varying stories over the years), the fact that the first black player in the Major Leagues was on the Dodgers changed baseball and American society forever. World War Two had ended only two years before and the armed forces were still segregated during that time; when the Korean conflict started a few years later, our forces would be integrated and there would be a move across the country to do the same thing in schools, the workforce, and in communities.
Jackie Robinson opened the door and behind him hundreds of other black players were waiting. Robinson was an exemplary person, an extraordinary ballplayer, and his success and good will were felt by players of all colors. Because of Robinson, the Major Leagues slowly became diversified and play rose to an infinitely better level. My grand uncle, who played in the minor leagues in the 1920s, said, "Our white team was always beaten when we played against the black teams in pick-up games because the blacks were better players," so this influx of talent certainly pushed all players to be better athletes out of necessity.
Another reason the new stadium should be named for Jackie Robinson can be found along a snaking road that connects Brooklyn to Queens and Long Island that used to be called The Interboro Parkway. It is a terrible road with sharp curves and narrow lanes, and I know because I've driven along it many times in my life. The traffic is always backed up along this route; it has only two lanes going in either direction, and the precipitous turns and short exit and entrance ramps make drivers slow down for safety. Back in 1972, my 18-year-old cousin was killed in an accident while riding his motorcycle along its most dangerous stretch through Cypress Hills, where quite fittingly there are cemeteries on either side of the road.
I guess you can understand why I've never felt fondly about The Interboro Parkway, that is until a few years ago when the name was changed to The Jackie Robinson Parkway to honor the groundbreaking ballplayer from the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was along this curving thoroughfare that winds its way through Brooklyn cemeteries and Queens parklands that Mets manager Willie Randolph's father used to drive him from Brooklyn into Queens to see Mets games. Little did young Willie know that the parkway would one day be renamed for the great Jackie Robinson whom he so admired or that he would be the skipper (and first black manager) of the team that he so loved.
As I watched the presentation about the new stadium (I saw it here in New York City on the new Mets Channel SNY), I knew many people would be excited by this development, but I felt it was bittersweet for I have so many memories connected to that place. Shea is hallowed ground for Mets fans: most notably left field, where Cleon Jones genuflected as he squeezed the fly ball for out number three and the Mets first World Series victory in 1969, and the mound, where Jesse Orosco threw that last strike of the 1986 World Series.
It has also been a site for rock concerts, visits by the Pope, and a venue for other conventions and convocations. Most hallowed of all ground is the area around second base that should be preserved forever to mark the place where the stage stood for the legendary Beatles' appearance in 1965. Before the Beatles, no rock and roll act could have sold out a 57,000-seat stadium, but they were like no other band before or since. I recall reading once that John always said that the concert at Shea Stadium was not only his most exciting performance as a Beatle, but also was the defining moment for the band in terms of popularity and their legacy.
Despite these things, Shea Stadium has no doubt outlived its viability as a sports arena. If you've ever attended a game there, you know that there is a strange alignment of seats to the field. No matter where you sit, it seems you're pointed toward the outfield wall. My theory on this is that the stadium was built with the thought of also accommodating a football team, which it eventually did (New York Jets). The trouble was that the seats were no better suited for football than they were for baseball, but that was always part of the fun at Shea. There were also the horribly slow escalators, the horrendous odor in the bathrooms, and the tedious wait at the vendor counters in long lines with no way to see the action on the field.
I've provided the following information and believe you will find it interesting when comparing and contrasting the new ballpark with old Shea:
NEW BALLPARK
Opening Day: 2009
Total Capacity: 45,000 (approximately)
Seating Categories: Concourse Level: 18,000
Club Level: 7,800
Promenade Level: 15,500
Seat Width: 19" to 24" (21" average)
Legroom Between Rows: 33" to 39"
Wheelchair Seating: 830
Luxury Suites: 58
Restaurants (capacity): Ebbets Lounge: 734
Sterling Lounge: 1,600
Left Field Club: 500
Promenade Grill: 500
Field Dimensions: Left Field: 335
Left Center: 379
Center: 408
Right Center: 391
Right Field: 330
SHEA STADIUM
Opening Day: 1964
Total Capacity: 57,333
Seating Categories: Loge: 8,852
Mezzanine: 14,156
Field Level: 11,149
Upper Deck: 20,420
Seat Width: 19" to 20" (19" average)
Legroom Between Rows: 32"
Wheelchair Seating: 174
Luxury Suites: 45
Restaurants (capacity): Diamond Club: 309
Grill Room: 219
Field Dimensions: Left Field: 338
Left Center: 371
Center: 410
Right Center: 371
Right Field: 338
*Statistics taken from New York Newsday
Fortunately, all the many things that have plagued fans at Shea have been considered in the planning for the construction of the new ballpark. It seems the first and foremost priority was aesthetics, and that is very pleasing to this fan. Reminiscent of the old home of the Dodgers in Brooklyn, the new structure will have striking brick arches along the façade with limestone and granite flourishes; the arches will contain semicircle windows in the top of each arch just like the ones in Ebbets Field. There will be space made for commemorative bronze plaques along the top of the building, and any exposed steel will be painted in rich Mets blue. This kind of return to a traditional-styled park will please most Mets fans, for Shea has always been a clash of 60s modernism and practicality with the harsh reality of its obviously unpleasant structural incongruities.
Also, looking at the statistics above, one can see that the goal was to make the amenities available to a smaller and more comfortable crowd. The Upper Deck at Shea has always been nosebleed land, and the wind whipping off Flushing Bay swooshed around those seats unmercifully. Now there will only be two major seating decks and a Club Level for the lounges and restaurants. All the facilities will have easy viewing of the action on the field, and the Promenade Grill sounds most promising as a restaurant that will be hanging down from that level and almost over the action on the field.
Listening to Jeff Wilpon, son of team owner and former Brooklyn Dodger fan Fred Wilpon, talking about the project convinced me that this was a labor of love. There were original plans for a domed stadium prior to 9/11, but Mr. Wilpon indicated that event changed everything, including the vision for this new park. Now the park is being designed to be more intimate, with a good deal less ground in foul territory because of seats that will be extremely close to the field. And, speaking of seats, there has been obvious attention to the fact that watching games at Shea used to be uncomfortable. The seats will be wider and legroom has been increased significantly.
Besides all the technical information that is impressive, most of all I think the city and the Mets organization have done justice to baseball history. The New York Met fans of today would not exist without the Dodger fans of yesterday. Dodger fans lived for their team, even when it was losing, and they went to games in a small ballpark where there was significant opportunity for exchange with each other and the players too. This has been recognized in the planning of this new park, and in my mind it takes a great deal of love to say we will design a park with ten thousand less seats in order that each fan who does attend a game will feel right at home. That's a design that doesn't have making money as a top priority (for more seats = more tickets = more money).
The Dodger fans of the past gave birth to the Met fans of the present. It has been a sometimes difficult process, but all the love, sweat, blood, and tears that were transferred meant more than just the change of a borough (Brooklyn to Queens) or change in name (Dodgers to Mets). For in the end, the quintessence of passion, spirit, and love of team has been passed on to Mets fans. Anyone who has ever been at Shea when it's a full house and has heard the fans screaming "Let's Go Mets" will know exactly what I mean.
The Mets are recognizing their connection to the past with the new stadium taking on the ghost of Ebbets Field and giving shape to a new and lasting presence in brick and steel. Now that the city and the Mets organization have done so much right in the planning of this new park, it is time to make the right call and name the park after the greatest Dodger of all: Jackie Robinson. In that way we will be honoring his memory, his team's legacy, and the hope for the future of Mets baseball will be very bright indeed.
Baseball salaries increase almost 9 percent
The average major league salary jumped nearly 9 percent to $2.87 million on Opening Day, and the three highest-paid players were -- you guessed it -- all on the New York Yankees.
Alex Rodriguez topped the list at $25.7 million and was No. 1 for the sixth straight year, according to a study of major league contracts by The Associated Press. Derek Jeter was next at $20.6 million, followed by Jason Giambi at $20.4 million. San Francisco's Barry Bonds was fourth at $20 million, and Houston's Jeff Bagwell -- who might not play because of a shoulder injury -- was next at $19.3 million. "Baseball had record crowds last year," Giambi said. "Probably with Barry going to break the [home run] record, it will bump it up and more people will come out and watch it. That makes players more popular, and in turn guys make more money." This year's $2,866,544 average was up 8.9 percent from last year's figure of $2,632,655. The Yankees' payroll dropped a bit to $198.7 million from $205.9 million on Opening Day last year. Boston was second again at $120.1 million, followed by the Los Angeles Angels ($103.6 million), the World Series champion Chicago White Sox ($102.9 million) and the New York Mets ($100.9 million). Payroll figures don't include cash transactions, such as money the Yankees are receiving from Texas for Rodriguez and the White Sox are getting from Philadelphia for Jim Thome. At the other end were the Florida Marlins at just under $15 million, including 17 players making the $327,000 minimum. It's the lowest figure for any team at the start of a season since Pittsburgh and Montreal in 1998. It's also less than the top 12 players make and 1/13th of what the Yankees pay their roster. While the biggest spenders kept their payrolls pretty much at the same levels as last year, many teams at the bottom made boosts. Toronto added free-agent pitchers A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan, and catcher Bengie Molina, among others, hiking its payroll to $71.9 million from $45.4 million. Eleven of the bottom 15 teams increased spending. Baseball's labor contract expires Dec. 19, and the sport's economic system will be negotiated again by players and owners. "There are still concerns at both the top and the bottom," said Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer. "The goal would be to get a tighter range that would ensure that even more than 20 clubs at Labor Day still have a chance to compete for playoff spots, that playoff spots are based on skill and talent and blossoming stars and not just on plugging holes with economics." Oakland, 21st at $62.3 million, still has little margin for error. Some of the high-spending clubs, such as the Yankees, complain that the smaller-market franchises haven't spent their revenue-sharing money on major league payrolls.
"Certain teams are funneling it back in the right ways and there are some teams that aren't," Athletics outfielder Mark Kotsay said. "I think this club in the last couple of years has definitely shed that. They've used the money in revenue sharing and put it back into players' salaries." In a sign that the money is being spread out, the number of players making $1 million or more rose from 390 to 409 -- still shy of the record 425 in 2001. The median salary -- the point at which an equal amount of players fall above and below -- rose to $1 million from $850,000, breaking the previous high of $975,000 set in 2001. Figures for the study included salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses and other guaranteed income for the 813 players on Opening-Day rosters and disabled lists. For some players, parts of salaries deferred without interest or with minimal interest were discounted to present-day value. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For openers, Mets look Mighty Fine
To which Wagner replies: So what? Rivera might have the history, the World Series rings and the love of a town forged through years of sustained excellence. But he doesn't have dibs on Metallica. Wagner has been doing the Sandman thing since Jeff Bagwell picked out the song for him in Houston, and he's not about to ditch it now.
"I play for the Mets. Mariano plays for the Yankees. I never have to face him and he never has to face me, so there's no big competition there," Wagner said. "The earth isn't going to crumble just because two guys have it."
With a new $43 million contract and 285 career saves, Wagner has earned the right to pick his background music. If New York is big enough for a pair of Sandmen, it should be able to accommodate two teams with postseason aspirations.
Wagner made his Mets debut by pitching a scoreless ninth inning in a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday. A crowd of 54,371, the largest ever for a Mets season opener, showed up at a dreary Shea Stadium and saw general manager Omar Minaya's revamped team rely on strong bullpen work, exceptional defense, a little David Wright and enough esprit de corps to fill a St. Patrick's Day parade.
"What happened in the past doesn't matter," said Tom Glavine, who earned the win for the Mets. "This is a different year and a new team that's constructed in a different way. Today you saw what it is that we're excited about, and that every Mets fan is excited about with this team."
For sake of comparison, the Mets couldn't help but recall last year's season opener in Cincinnati, when Pedro Martinez struck out 12 batters in six innings only to miss out on a victory when closer Braden Looper gave up ninth-inning homers to Adam Dunn and Joe Randa. The Mets proceeded to start 0-5 in Willie Randolph's first year as manager.
Now they're perfect, at least for a day, and they could attend Monday night's team function with no regrets.
"To go to the Welcome Home Dinner at 0-1 wouldn't have been any fun," Wright said.
After spending mega-millions to bring in Wagner and Carlos Delgado over the winter, the Mets kicked off Opening Day by paying tribute to the 1986 world championship club. Gary Carter caught the ceremonial first pitch from Jesse Orosco, but couldn't muster up the energy to leap into Orosco's arms.
In the end, this Opening Day was about redemption. Carlos Beltran, who so disappointed Mets fans with his production last year after signing a $119 million contract, was booed by the crowd when he popped to shortstop with a runner in scoring position in the fifth inning. But Beltran sent the fans home happy when he cut down Jose Vidro trying to stretch a single into a double for the final out of the game.
It was about fresh starts. Xavier Nady, who came over from San Diego in the Mike Cameron trade in December, joined Richie Hebner as the second player in Mets history to collect four hits in his debut.
It was about lofty expectations. Wright, who has been anointed the face of the franchise for the next decade, hit a solo homer off Livan Hernandez in the sixth and was serenaded with cries of "MVP! MVP!" -- much to his embarrassment.
"It's way too early for that," Wright said.
It was about positive omens. By all rights, the Nationals should have tied the game in the eighth inning. Alfonso Soriano singled and came all the way around on a Ryan Zimmerman double into the left field corner. But a Cliff Floyd-to-Jose Reyes relay made for a close play at the plate, and umpire Rick Reed failed to notice that catcher Paul Lo Duca dropped the ball after Soriano's left hand touched the plate. "We got a break," Lo Duca said.
Finally, Opening Day was about a reliable old trooper gearing up to make a run at baseball history. Since Glavine came to New York as a free agent in December 2002, the experience hasn't been entirely positive. He lost two teeth in a taxi cab accident, and he's posted a 33-41 record in a New York uniform. A lack of run support and a shaky bullpen haven't helped his pursuit of 300 career victories; he's currently 24 wins short.
Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz recently revealed in his book that Glavine actually had second thoughts about coming to New York in the first place. The revelation upset Glavine, who thought their conversation never should have been made public.
A great deal has been made of Glavine's age -- he turned 40 a week ago -- but he's never been on the disabled list and he's never shied away from competition. Given a chance to start against Washington because of Martinez's toe injury, Glavine was on his game.
He set down the Nationals in order in the first inning while never cracking 83 on the radar gun, and the tone was set for the day. Glavine had a worthy adversary in Hernandez, who worked in, out, up and down while mixing in the occasional 61 mph curve.
"Some guys are throwers and some guys are pitchers," Floyd said. "We had two pitchers starting the game today."
Said Wagner: "Honestly, I know that I couldn't pitch with the stuff they have. It takes a special person and a mentally tough man to be able to do what they do."
It's a long season, and maybe Atlanta will exert its influence as usual and relegate the Mets to the role of wild-card threat. Maybe Martinez's toe becomes an ongoing issue, or Beltran never adapts to the big city, or Reyes' lack of patience at the plate becomes a drag on the offense at the top of the order.
Maybe all of that occurs. But a day into the season, the Mets are talking like a team that believes it can justify the hype. When Floyd says, "We know we can win," try telling him he's wrong.
The background noise at America's loudest ballpark sure wasn't enough to obscure the pounding of all those Mets hearts on Opening Day. The celebrants ranged from rookie pitcher Brian Bannister, making his first appearance in a Mets uniform, to Julio Franco, who played alongside Bert Blyleven, Mike Hargrove and Manny Trillo in his first full season with the 1983 Indians.
Then there's Wright, the reluctant MVP candidate. He needed a visit from the Sandman on Monday night just to quell the adrenaline rush.
Yankees' stadium plan clears city council hurdle
The 45-2 vote clears the way for some of the team's land-use plans, including the use of two public parks as a site for the new stadium.
"This is a day to celebrate," said Councilman Oliver Koppell, who noted that only a few years ago the team was talking about leaving the Bronx. "The Yankees, for the foreseeable future, for our children and our grandchildren, will be the Bronx Bombers."
It has been only 10 months since the Yankees unveiled the plans for the new ballpark; the project has moved with blazing speed.
Wednesday's vote came only a few hours after the transaction was approved by the council's land use committee. The council's finance committee is scheduled to consider on Monday whether to help finance the stadium by issuing tax-exempt bonds.