Orange Foul Pole #7: Mets Classics
As a Mets fan who joined the party during the downswing of their heyday, it is always nice to watch airings of old games on SNY. From the NL East pennant clincher in 1988 to Johan Santana's 3-hit shut-out last season, these games always ignite something in me, to remind me that there is a reason I like this team. During the winter, the Mets Classics airings serve as programming filler and I think the selection of games are chosen to reflect the excitement of a more recent event. I remember that after Johan Santana was signed last February, the Mets Classic that week was Mike Piazza's first game as a Met in May 1998. It is fun to watch those games and hear names that I haven't heard before or haven't heard in a long while.
I was watching a game versus the Yankees from July 10, 1999 and the name 'Beltran' made my ears perk up. I looked at the TV and saw that the camera was showing the relievers warming up in the bullpen. Beltran the pitcher? The only Beltran I know is the magnificent center fielder of the current squad, so I had to investigate further. I used mlb.com to look up historical player names and only three Beltrans came up in the search; two were pitchers: Francis and Rigo. Rigo Beltran was the man I was looking for and I learned that he made 28 appearances for the Mets from 1998-1999. He pitched for the Cardinals, Mets and Rockies between 1997 and 2000 then did not appear on the major league level again until 2004. He last pitched for the former Montreal Expos, now Washington Nationals, and ended his career with an ERA of 4.40. While Beltran was the reason I even wanted to take notes about this particular game, I noted that Mike Piazza hit a 3-run home run and #7 Todd Pratt was the first player out of the dugout to greet him. This only made me smile because currently on the Mets it is not uncommon for #7 Jose Reyes to be the first to greet you at the top of the steps after a trip around the bases. Something about that #7.
Another Mets Where Are They Now? was inspired by a game rerun versus the Brewers from May 20, 1999 when the name Jermaine Allensworth made me an interested researcher again. Allensworth appeared in the outfield for 74 games with the Mets from 1998-1999, where he last played professionally, previously playing for the Pirates and the Royals. To say that he played on teams with championship capabilities would be a lie, but he made enough of an impression on me to warrant a journal entry. Well, I didn't answer the question of where he is now, but maybe it's better that way.
The real reason I wanted to write about Mets Classics today is because one of my classics made news today. A book about Roger Clemens, titled The Rocket that Fell to Earth by Jeff Pearlman, is being released and includes allegations that Mike Piazza used performance enhancing drugs during his Hall of Fame-worthy career. The Alex Rodriguez revelation last month pulled the PED hubbub from the Mitchell Report last offseason back into play and this behavior is something that I guess fans now have to accept happened. It happened with their favorite players and while it most likely will taint their HOF chances, what about the memories and the legacies? Rodriguez recently said that he does not want the remaining 103 names on the list of positively-tested players to be released, which is very big of him since his name should not have been released either. Piazza has avoided being dragged through the mud so far during the hunt for the truth, but what will happen now with the release of this new book? I don't know him personally so I'm not going to jump to defend or accuse, but he is the reason I started following the Mets and I don't think I'll write him off completely because of this. I guess time will tell whether or not this taints his image as an iconic Mets figure.
To end on a lighter note regarding "classics", the World Baseball Classic ended on Monday in the highly anticipated matchup between Japan and Korea. I tuned in close to the end of the game with Japan up by one run, but Yu Darvish, the young, stud pitcher from Japan, gave up a run at the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extras. I found out the next day that Ichiro -- a man whose name was made for chants, I-CHI-RO! -- hit the 2-run game-winning hit to give Japan their second tournament win. They weren't messing around during the game versus USA either, and totally deserved their dramatic finish.
I was watching a game versus the Yankees from July 10, 1999 and the name 'Beltran' made my ears perk up. I looked at the TV and saw that the camera was showing the relievers warming up in the bullpen. Beltran the pitcher? The only Beltran I know is the magnificent center fielder of the current squad, so I had to investigate further. I used mlb.com to look up historical player names and only three Beltrans came up in the search; two were pitchers: Francis and Rigo. Rigo Beltran was the man I was looking for and I learned that he made 28 appearances for the Mets from 1998-1999. He pitched for the Cardinals, Mets and Rockies between 1997 and 2000 then did not appear on the major league level again until 2004. He last pitched for the former Montreal Expos, now Washington Nationals, and ended his career with an ERA of 4.40. While Beltran was the reason I even wanted to take notes about this particular game, I noted that Mike Piazza hit a 3-run home run and #7 Todd Pratt was the first player out of the dugout to greet him. This only made me smile because currently on the Mets it is not uncommon for #7 Jose Reyes to be the first to greet you at the top of the steps after a trip around the bases. Something about that #7.
Another Mets Where Are They Now? was inspired by a game rerun versus the Brewers from May 20, 1999 when the name Jermaine Allensworth made me an interested researcher again. Allensworth appeared in the outfield for 74 games with the Mets from 1998-1999, where he last played professionally, previously playing for the Pirates and the Royals. To say that he played on teams with championship capabilities would be a lie, but he made enough of an impression on me to warrant a journal entry. Well, I didn't answer the question of where he is now, but maybe it's better that way.
The real reason I wanted to write about Mets Classics today is because one of my classics made news today. A book about Roger Clemens, titled The Rocket that Fell to Earth by Jeff Pearlman, is being released and includes allegations that Mike Piazza used performance enhancing drugs during his Hall of Fame-worthy career. The Alex Rodriguez revelation last month pulled the PED hubbub from the Mitchell Report last offseason back into play and this behavior is something that I guess fans now have to accept happened. It happened with their favorite players and while it most likely will taint their HOF chances, what about the memories and the legacies? Rodriguez recently said that he does not want the remaining 103 names on the list of positively-tested players to be released, which is very big of him since his name should not have been released either. Piazza has avoided being dragged through the mud so far during the hunt for the truth, but what will happen now with the release of this new book? I don't know him personally so I'm not going to jump to defend or accuse, but he is the reason I started following the Mets and I don't think I'll write him off completely because of this. I guess time will tell whether or not this taints his image as an iconic Mets figure.
To end on a lighter note regarding "classics", the World Baseball Classic ended on Monday in the highly anticipated matchup between Japan and Korea. I tuned in close to the end of the game with Japan up by one run, but Yu Darvish, the young, stud pitcher from Japan, gave up a run at the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extras. I found out the next day that Ichiro -- a man whose name was made for chants, I-CHI-RO! -- hit the 2-run game-winning hit to give Japan their second tournament win. They weren't messing around during the game versus USA either, and totally deserved their dramatic finish.