New additions to the Mets bullpen & my autograph collection

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Paul

Staten Island native Jack Egbert, who played college baseball for Rutgers University, is the 35th player to appear on the New York Mets active roster this season. The Mets selected his contract from the Buffalo Bisons on Friday after they optioned Robert Carson back to the Binghamton Mets.

Egbert had a 2-3 record with a 2.08 ERA in 17 appearances (including one start) for the Bisons this year. He walked five while striking out 17 in 26 innings. He has allowed  one home run and has held opposing batters to a .234 average against him. (For more about Egbert, check out this ESPN New York article.)

Should the 29-year-old right-hander make it into a game for the New York Mets, he would become the 930th player in the team’s history. And then I’d be able to add this signed 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition card to my Mets autograph collection.

Signed Jack Egbert baseball card from my collection, obtained through the mail in May 2012

This week, I’ve also added a few other autographed cards to my collection this week, removing three names from the list of players I was missing and “upgrading”   a fourth player to a signed Mets card.

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Categories: Autographs, new york mets | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bears rained out; doubleheader Saturday

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Paul

Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium on Opening Night (Photo credit: Paul Hadsall)

I had hoped to start Memorial Day weekend off by watching the Newark Bears play the Quebec Capitales tonight.

Unfortunately, I arrived at the stadium to find the gates locked and the ticket windows closed. The game was postponed due to field conditions. (I can only guess that the field was left uncovered yesterday.)

So if you’re free on Saturday afternoon & evening, you can catch a Newark Bears doubleheader starting at 4 p.m.

I won’t be able to make it to a Bears game until next Friday, when Newark hosts the St. Paul Saints.

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Categories: Newark Bears | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

Now pitching for the Long Island Ducks, Armando Benitez

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Paul

Armando Benitez pitches for the Newark Bears in 2009 (Photo credit: Paul Hadsall)

Former New York Mets closer Armando Benitez  has signed a contract to pitch for the Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League.

Benitez pitched for the Mets from 1999-2003, and last appeared in the major leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2008.  He previously played in the Atlantic League in 2009 and 2010 with the Newark Bears.

In other news about former Mets pitchers, the New York Yankees are close to signing John Maine to a minor league contract according to MLB.com’s Evan Drellich.

Maine last pitched in the majors for the Mets in 2010. He signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox this winter, but was released earlier this month without ever appearing in a game.

And for the curious, Oliver Perez is working out of the bullpen for the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. In 16 appearances, Ollie has a 2-1 record with a 4.98 ERA. He’s walked 14 and struck out 30 in 21.2 innings. Opponents are hitting .307 against him, and he’s allowed three home runs.

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Categories: Baseball | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

[Press Release] Fireworks, Auctions and More at Riverfront Stadium as Quebec Visits Newark for Weekend Series

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Paul

Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium on Opening Night (Photo credit: Paul Hadsall)

This weekend, the Quebec Capitales, winners of the last three CanAm League championships, will pay a visit to Newark for a three-game series starting on Friday night.

Friday’s game is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. and includes:

  • A fireworks show following the game
  • A post-game autograph session with players and coaches
  • A Storage Wars-inspired auction: “Locker Wars”
  • Raising awareness of Lyme Disease throughout the game

Saturday’s game is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. and includes:

  • NJIT Night—students, faculty, alumni and fans of NJIT are encouraged to show their Highlander pride! College students enjoy season-long deals: 2-for-1 tickets, 2-for-1 hot dogs and for those 21-and-over, $1 beers
  • Launch-A-Ball—fans are challenged to throw tennis balls from the stands into hula hoops on the field. One of the four hula hoops is worth $500! Each attempt is $1

Sunday’s game is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. and includes:

  • Free food for children 12-and-under. Vouchers can be picked up at Will Call
  • Kids Club members are treated to a free gift upon entering the stadium
  • Following the game, Kids Club members can run the bases
  • Raising awareness of the 100+ types of arthritis throughout the game

For more information, visit newarkbears.com or call 973-848-1000.

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Categories: Newark Bears | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

Link: Are Pitch Counts Ruining The Game?

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Paul

At Big Apple Mets Talk, Mitch Petanick raises an interesting question: Are pitch counts ruining the game?

As pitchers make higher and higher salaries as the years go by, they also throw less pitches.  Whose idea was it anyway that 100 pitches was going to be the limit for starting pitchers?

I’d love to know the answer to that question myself. It doesn’t seem like pitch limits have done all that much to prevent arm injuries, but they certainly have lowered the quality of pitching in baseball. When starting pitchers went deeper into games, teams could get away with carrying 10-man staffs. Now, 12 pitchers are the norm. Sixty pitchers who would have been left in the minor leagues are now members of major league bullpens.

Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts. And if anyone is aware of any statistical analysis that’s relevant to the question, please share links.

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Categories: Baseball | Tags: , , , | 3 Comments

Link: Anatomy of an Autograph Signing

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Paul
A signed Josh Hamilton baseball card from my collection, obtained through the mail in 2009.

A signed Josh Hamilton baseball card from my collection, obtained through the mail in 2009.

Have you ever wondered what goes into a private autograph signing session with a baseball star?

Check out Matt Raymond‘s story about Josh Hamilton‘s recent autograph signing session for Major League Alumni Marketing at Autograph University.

Five hundred baseballs, three hundred photos, two hundred bats and one hundred jerseys silently await Josh Hamilton’s signature inside the boardroom of a Seattle hotel. Matt Hazzard walks around a giant surfboard-shaped table in the center of the room—making sure each item is in its place—before the MVP arrives for the autograph signing. Over the past four hours he and a colleague have turned the empty space into a memorabilia showcase. Once the guest of honor arrives the transformation will be complete.

It definitely sounds like a big logistical undertaking.

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Niese baffles Bucs, but how long can the Mets’ luck last?

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Paul

Jonathon Niese dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday. While there’s room to debate whether the Pirates’ lineup really is worthy of major league status, Niese’s performance was a big improvement over his start in Toronto last Friday when he allowed four home runs in three innings.

Jonathon Niese’s 2012 Topps baseball card

In fact, the Mets have won three of their last four games, bringing them back to four games above the .500 mark and into a tie with the Miami Marlins for third place, two games behind Atlanta.

And yet I feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Michael Salfino and Howard Megdal both point to some numerical analysis that suggests the Mets have benefited from a lot of good luck this season.

I don’t think you really need to get out the calculator to understand that point, though. It’s plain to see that Ike Davis, who had been counted on to be the Mets’ cleanup hitter and primary power hitter, often looks lost at the plate and could be spending Memorial Day in Buffalo.

Lucas Duda, the team’s other projected source of power, has four home runs so far. Daniel Murphy has been better than expected at second base, and he’s hit well – at least at Citi Field. But he’s turned into a singles hitter. After a fast start, Kirk Nieuwenhuis is trying to make adjustments to the pitchers who’ve adjusted to him.

Really, David Wright is the only Opening Day starter you could point to and say, “wow, what a great year he’s having so far.”

And while the starting rotation has had better results than I expected, the Mets’ new and improved bullpen evokes memories of September 2008.

I’m trying to enjoy the 2012 Mets’ success for as long as it lasts, but I can’t help wondering when their luck is going to run out. I’ll be at three of the 11 games on the homestand the Mets begin tonight. Hopefully fortune will continue to favor the Mets at least a little longer.

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Photos from Monday’s Lehigh Valley Ironpigs game

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Paul

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs players Steve Susdorf (foreground), Pat Misch (center) and Kevin Frandsen (background) participate in a pre-game team autograph session

Despite the wet weather yesterday, Freddy and I made the trip to Allentown, Pa. to see the Louisville Bats take on the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs. The evening’s promotion was a team photo giveaway and pregame  autograph session.

It was the best-organized autograph session I’ve ever seen. Staff members handed out maps showing where all of the players and coaches would be signing along with the team photo giveaway. There were two or three people per table, and nearly the entire team participated.

Ryne Sandberg had the longest line, but if you went to his table as soon as you got in the gate, you probably were able to get his autograph. He was signing everything from baseball cards, to baseballs, bats and even a Cubs jersey.

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Categories: Baseball | Tags: , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Gooden, Fernandez scheduled to appear at Roselle restaurant tonight

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Paul

 

Dwight Gooden at his Mets Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (Photo credit: Paul Hadsall)

Former New York Mets pitchers Dwight Gooden and Sid Fernandez are scheduled to appear at Central Park Bar, Restaurant, Sushi, Banquet, 2401 Wood Avenue, Roselle tonight between 6 and 8 p.m.

Combo autograph tickets are $39, and dual-signed photo ops are available for $65.

For more information, call 1-732-928-8600

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Photos from Friday’s 6-4 Newark Bears victory over Worcester

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Paul

Worcester Tornadoes DH Jose Canseco

Friday night I went to my second Newark Bears game of the season. It was a much closer contest than the opening night game – this time, the Bears won 6-4, but Worcester sent the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning. It was also a quick game, finishing up in just 2 hours, 28 minutes.

Jose Canseco went 0-for-4 on the evening with two strikeouts, and he did not reach base at all during the game. He came close to getting his first hit of the season in his final at-bat of the game. Against lefty reliever Matt Fitton, Canseco drove a ball out to right field that Eric McGee caught about ten feet shy of the warning track. I have the feeling that if Canseco can get his timing down, he will still be an interesting player to watch.

Newark first baseman Daryle Ward hit his first home run of the year in the eighth inning, which turned out to provide the margin of victory.

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Categories: Newark Bears | Tags: , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

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