I love Ralph Kiner. I respect him for his for his contribution to the game of baseball – both as a player and, later, a broadcaster. If you’ve been a New York Mets fan for any length of time you certainly understand Kiner’s importance in team history.
New York Mets manager Terry Collins could have leaned on any number of reasons to remove Frank Francisco as the closer, the most obvious being the two blown saves last weekend against the Miami Marlins. Instead, Collins did what any manager who is trying to build confidence in his players would do: he gave his closer a vote of confidence.
If there is such a thing as a productive loss, the New York Mets may have had one Friday in Miami.
After trailing 3-0, coming back against a division rival on the road, scoring five runs in two innings to take a 5-3 lead, the Mets bullpen couldn’t finish the job. Bobby Parnell and Tim Byrdak pitched the eighth inning, allowing one run. Frank Francisco came in to record the final three outs, but instead, recorded one out, surrendered two runs and the game.
Howard Johnson can empathize with Ike Davis. The former Met player remembers what April and May were like. A notorious slow starter, over his 14-year career, Johnson hit .219 in the month of April with a .317 on-base percentage. He was a career .237 hitter in May.
Slow down. That’s what then Mets manager Davey Johnson told the young Mets third baseman Howard Johnson.
It would be easy — too easy, in fact — to inflate Daniel Murphy’s value to the New York Mets after his 4-for-4 performance against the Arizona Diamondbacks Saturday. But if we step back and look at Murphy’s 2012 season as a whole, and the impact he’s had on the Mets success, the stock of the third baseman-turned left fielder-turned first baseman-turned second baseman is on the rise.
I am a 25-year media/marketing/public relations professional. I have worked in radio, television, print and digital media. I contnue to pursue journalism as a freelance sports reporter for print and digital publications. You can follow me on Twitter @johnstrubel, friend me on Facebook or +John Strubel on Google. Story ideas? Comments? Questions? Email me at: john@johnstrubel.com.© 2012 John Strubel | Powered by JGS MEDIA INC.