Archive for February, 2010

The glasses are clean and frosted, the taps are all flushed. Murph’s Corner Bar is open for another day.
 
The date was August 27,1974. Playing Left Field against the Houston Astros and batting sixth behind the third baseman Wayne Garret and ahead of Catcher Ron Hodges was the Rookie Benny Ayala.
 
This was Benny’s major league debut, and in his first game in his first at bat in the second inning of that game with one out Benny homered for the Mets. It was the first time that a Met Rookie had hit a home run in his first at bat. The last man to do that: Mike Jacobs.
 
The ’74 Mets, well out of contention at that point, went on to win that game. Benny, of course was the star of the game and won an invite to Kiner’s Korner on WOR, channel 9 in New York.
 
Of course I have to mention here that it still bothers me that the “free” Mets games are now on WPIX because that was always the Yankees channel back in the day.
 
Kiner was pretty much worried about interviewing Ayala because he had never spoken with him before and for some reason thought that Benny only spoke Spanish. To remedy that, Ralph invited second baseman Felix Milan on the show also to help translate.
 
Felix’s English wasn’t really that great but you could understand him.
 
The show started and it turns out that although Benny was born in Puerto Rico, he lived in the US, went to school here and spoke English better than Felix, and almost better than Ralph.
 
Despite the success of his first game, Benny wasn’t that great of a player for the Mets. I remember him having to make a quick throw back to the infield, and he choked the ball and bounced it about 6 feet in front of him. Never saw that in a major league game before or since.
 
Benny didn’t make the team in 1975, came up briefly in 1976 and then was dealt to the Cardinals.
 
Benny did have success several years later with the Baltimore Orioles, appearing in two World Series and batting .429 in them as a part time outfielder and DH.

I was hoping my return to the site would be a seamless transition where I got back to work and that was that.  But Oh Murph has been inundated with questions and rumors regarding my departure and return so I’d like to take this chance to clear a few things up.
I’d like to apologize to my colleagues, as well as the readers, fans, degenerates and for all those who enjoy the content here on Oh Murph.  I have treated you all unfairly and I really wish it had never gotten so out of hand that I would need so many months away. 
When you write for a site with the massive magnitude that Oh Murph has,  the whole experience can get larger than life in the blink of an eye.  What started as a comical observation about a kid with an Indian accent quickly spun itself into an out of control lifestyle that one can only maintain for so long before it all comes crashing down.  With everything at my fingertips that anyone could possibly want, the excess and debauchery were both imminent.

Many things have been said but I want to specifically address the notion that physical violence was in some way involved when it came to the surface that I would need a break.  I never struck Kid Carter nor did he, B.S Upton or  Osse  ambush me on the 32nd floor of our parking garage at Oh Murph Headquarters. 

Please leave them alone and remove the media circus from outside their respective homes.  They did nothing to precipitate this. 

 
Also, ladies, I will no longer be accepting your advances in the form of getting flashed at red lights and impromptu lap dances in the aisles of supermarkets.  The former I discovered is a serious driving hazard and the latter is the reason I’m no longer allowed to shop at my local Pathmark.  
This is all part of my treatment and I hope to continue with my success.  I appreciate your support and look forward to a great season and beyond.

 
All the best,

Niles Standish

 
Ps  If you work for a popular website, and you see something I wrote and think to yourself  “hey that’s a good idea, I think I’ll rip that off” Can you do me a favor?  At least do a better job.  You guys get paid a lot of money, I do this for fun.

Its been a while since we last heard from our beleaguered friend Tony Bernazard but us here at OhMurph did our diligence to hunt down the former Mets executive.  Now, apparently on the books for Scott Boras, we discovered that his position with the super agent is only a rouse.  The job came about right around the time as Tony was preparing for his video game debut “Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad Of Gay Tony”.  When I tracked Tony down at a West Village Cafe he cleared up many of the misconceptions that surrounded his departure from the Mets.

Niles Standish:  Tony first of all, congrats on the success of the video game.
Tony Bernazard:  Thank you much papi.  It was in development for a while but I couldn’t let it drop while I was with the Mets.
NS:  Lets talk about your time in NY, things ended a little rough for you.
TB:  I’m an open book now.  Where shall we begin?
NS:  Lets talk about the incident with the minor leaguers in Binghamton.  You wanted to fight the team?
TB:  That’s how the media spun it.  They’re can’t say the real story.  I wanted to hot oil wrestle them!  They were doing so poorly.  On the field, fundamentals.  I wanted to rattle the cage a little.  Light a fire.  So what better place to start a fire then with a little hot oil? 
NS:  Ok Tony we aren’t here to judge you.  But you understand why that might have come off as inappropriate right?
TB: Yes but its OK.  What else?

NS:  How about your “unusual suggestions” to the Mets front office?
TB:  That I can contest.  I was just doing my job.  You try and come up with new ideas for the fans.  One idea is playing a few home games in another city.  Many teams have done it.  Lets them call it “unusual” I was petitioning Jeff for us to play a few home games on Fire Island.  You trade the 7 train for the ferry, so what?  It could have been fabulous!
NS:  The press reported a conflict between you and Francisco Rodriguez, what say you?
TB:  Ok this is another thing the media took and ran with.  It did get heated between us but it wasn’t over relievers.  I told him he’d look much better in skinny jeans.  He’s still going baggy, what is this 1999?
NS:  How about your new job with Scott Boras?  Fact or fraud?
TB:  Total fraud.  I’m on the books, yes, but I’m not doing much work.  If I was working with Boras I’d be busy on the phone trying to get a decent player twice what he’s worth to play in a terrible city.  Not having brunch and doing this interview with you!
NS:  Very true Tony.  Would you ever consider a return to baseball?  Take a position with another organization?
TB:  I don’t think so.  The life I lead now, I love it.  I was finally able to go to Fashion Week, it was amazing!  I guess I can never rule it out though.  I have always wanted to work in San Fransisco.  Brian Sabean, call me baby!
NS:  Thanks for your time Tony.
TB:  Its been a pleasure, compadre.

Last year OhMurph interviewed the Blogfather, none other than Matt Cerrone of Metsblog.  To start off the Mets 2010 season, OhMurph reached out to Mike Baron, the consigliere to the Blogfather, respected Metsblog contributor, awesome sports photographer and rising star.

Follow Michael on Twitter @michaelgbaron and check out his photo of the day through his Twitter link or at metsphotos.com

 

Kid Carter: Where are you from and how did you get to write for metsblog?

Michael Baron: I was born and raised in Scarsdale, New York and I got involved with Matt and MetsBlog a little over a year ago, when he saw my photography and the blog I originally was writing, NYMets.info. He asked me if I’d be interested in writing for MetsBlog, and I was humbled and thrilled by the opportunity to do so. The rest is history.

B.S. Upton: You’re also a photographer and you take some amazing shots on your site.  Which Met do you like best photographing and which past Met would you have liked to photograph?

Michael Baron: I really enjoy photographing David Wright and Jose Reyes. Both are always smiling and enjoying the game, and that’s what it’s supposed to be about. They also have a great work ethic, and are always honing their skills, and I have a lot of pictures of them doing so as well.

Kid Carter: Santanas wife, why not better looking?

Michael Baron: To each his own. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

B.S. Upton: Sorry, Kid gets disctracted.  Who would you prefer to photograph: Julie, Alexi, or Michele Yu?  Actually, Kid might have been on to something, Which Met player’s wife would you like to photograph?

Michael Baron: I’m going to have to go with Julie, although I have snapped a couple of photographs of her already. She didn’t like them too much, but I thought they were good. She has a great smile and a great attitude, and it shows on camera.

Kid Carter: We just started Oh Murph’s uglier/fatter sister site called MetsFAIL.com.  Do you think the Mets will give us material for the 2010 season?
Michael Baron: I think the Mets are going to be contenders, although I don’t think they are on the same level as the Phillies. I believe they will win somewhere around 83-88 games, assuming everyone is healthy, and that should put them in the discussion for the Wild Card, at least.

Kid Carter: In a July interview we had with Cerrone, he dodged a very important question about Razor Shines being hot or not.  So we ask you, Razor Shines, is the man desirable?

Michael Baron: Well, I don’t swing that way, so I can’t really give you an answer. He’s a good guy though, as he is always giving BP baseballs to kids along the third base lines.

B. S. Upton: If you could photograph the game from any spot on the field or the stadium, where would it be?

Michael Baron: I’d love to photograph a game from the batters box. It’s the one position on the field that can be very humbling, and help people appreciate how hard the game really is.

B.S. Upton: Oh, Kid would have picked the locker room.

B.S. Upton: What’s your most prized piece of Memorabilia?

Michael Baron: I have both a Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan Topps rookie card, but I have to say my autograph of Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle are my most cherished. I had the opportunity to meet both of them for the autographs, and those moments, along with the autographs, cannot be replaced.

B.S. Upton: We hear you’re headed down to Spring Training next week. What other sites will you try to see besides the Mets?

Michael Baron: Yes, Ill be in Port St. Lucie Saturday February 20, and 27. I plan to be at Steinbrenner Field, as well as Marlins/Cardinals in Jupiter, and Orioles camp in Sarasota.
B.S. Upton: Mike, how do you feel Twitter has changed the blogosphere? You’ve been very accessible to Metsblog fans there, and everybody appreciates that.

Michael Baron: Well, I am very happy and humbled people even respect my opinion, because in the end, I feel as though I am just a fan, wanting the Mets to win a World Series. I think Twitter has created a forum unlike anything we have seen before. Baseball has always been a year round sport, especially in New York. But not only does it keep the chatter up about EVERY team in EVERY sport, but it has given people an easy way to push their unique content to a broad range of people. It’s a tool, if used right, that can be an invaluable resource for anyone with a website.

That’s all for now, Ladies.  Don’t forget to follow Mike and check out his site!

 

MIKE JACOBS = I’M BACK JOSE

 After a long debate of 20 seconds, we decided to change the name of this column from Dork of the Week to Murph’s Corner Bar.
 
Every ballplayer will one day become and ex-ballplayer and one day Young Daniel Murphy will be Ol’ Dan Murphy and we project him as opening a bar.
 
You know the bar, the one down the street, on the corner. The Old Man’s bar. A little run down, a little too much neon in the window. The cold beer there is golden yellow, served in small glasses, and Kid behind the bar, he’ll buy you back more times then you remember.
 
The game is always on the TV, the music is soft, and the conversation is always in process.
 
Today we’re remembering Willie Montanez.
 
Willie was the property of the Cardinals before he was traded to the Phillies. Interesting historical baseball note, Willie was sent to the Phillies because Curt Flood refused to go to the Phillies from the Cardinals. Yes, that trade for that Curt Flood, the one that eventually created Free Agency.
 
Willie came up with the Phillies in 1971 and starting in Centerfield had a great rookie season with 30 homers and 99 rbi, most of which seemed to come against the Mets.
 
In 1973, Willie moved to first base, his preferred position. It was then and there that the debate started. You see, Willie was the ultimate hot dog.
 
That should be capital letters as in Hot Dog with mustard, onion, relish, and sauerkraut on it. What did he do to earn that distinction? I’ll see how much I remember.
 
While walking to the batters box, he liked to flip his bat as a ritual. If he hit a homerun, he would slow down and take short stutter steps before every base. But in the field is where the show really was. Whenever he caught a ball he would snap his glove. On Pop-ups, he would snap it, then pretend to holster it like a gun. On throws from the infield, he would snap the glove and then take it behind his back to remove the ball, everytime. On throws over from the pitcher, he would fake the throw back and spin around to retag the runner.
 
Phillie fans loved it. Met fans not so much. Bob Murphy hated it and complained about it regularly.
 
Of course, a few years go by and Willie ends up getting traded to the Giants, then the Braves, and then in 1978 the New York Mets.
 
Kind of a controversial trade, in a 4 way deal, the Mets shipped out John Milner and John Matlack. They got Montanez, Tom Grieve and Ken Hendersen back. The last two guys I barely remember.
 
Montanez had a good season for the Mets in ’78, leading the team in home runs and rbi. This was the Joe Torre managed vintage Mets, so yes this was a last place club.
 
The hot dog complaining by Bob Murphy settled down a little, but you could see that it still bothered him.
 
1979 was a different story for Montanez. Maybe it was the depression of last place, maybe it was the act getting stale, Montanez only hit .234. Murphy was letting him have it on the Hot Dog act, in effect saying it was the bad baseball Karma catching up with him, and Montanez was shipped off to the Texas Rangers for 2 players to be named later. He promptly turned his season around for them, hitting .319 the rest of the way.
 
Yet another example of a guy that killed the Mets when he was on another team, then ended up killing them when he was on the Mets.

In addition to the widely reported changes at Citifield that include new blue and orange stairwells, a Mets Museum, a revised bullpen so that both sides can see the game (what a great idea!, must be easy to get an architects license these days), and the new lower Centerfield wall, OhMurph has once again gone underground to find a list of other changes designed to “enhance” the Mets efforts in 2010.

By investing prudently in the 2010 free agent market, and otherwise socking away millions, the Mets have been able to invest in the latest technology to improve their chances.

1. The Entire Outfield wall will be hydraulically actuated to articulate in two directions. In Layman’s terms, the fence will move in and down when the Mets are up and out and up when the opposition is at bat.

2. Special Chase Utley right field fence extender has been installed in the right field corner to raise beyond the other fence sections when Utley is at bat.

3. Radially actuated foul poles that will swing out when the Mets are at Bat and in when the opposition is at bat.

4. High-speed digital video editing to instantly make sure any of the video judgement calls go the Mets way.

5. SNY will mount a fast blip laser pointer on the centerfield camera that will hit the opposing batter’s eye a nanosecond after the ball release from the pitcher’s hand. We may yet see that first Met no hitter.

6. Auto tilt foul line area between home to first and third to home to make sure that those slow rollers up the line always go the Mets way. The third to home section can be raised an additional 27 degree to create a banked track so that Jose Reyes can score every time from second base.

7. An Electromagnetic field installed on the right side of the infield coupled with specially developed in-glove sensors to insure all balls hit that way will get into Murphy’s and Castillo’s gloves. Tests have also shown that this will also straighten out Wright’s throws from third.

8. Airborne drones disguised as seagulls that will be dispatched to intercept any ball hit that might clear the fence extensions listed above by the opposing team.

OhMurph suspects other improvements will be installed as the season progresses including artificial intelligence for Jerry Manuel, Omar Minaya, and Ollie Perez.

Is it Monday already?

On the baseball field in 1975, Mike Vail was not a dork.

Mike Vail was acquired by the Mets in a trade for the great Teodoro Martinez with the St. Louis Cardinals. Mike Vail had quite the year in 1975.

From a Mets fans perspective, 1975 was another frustrating year. Mets fans were wired a little differently back then. We had 1969 and 1973 as reference points that showed us that a poorly constructed team could be lucky enough to get hot and come from behind and compete. We still had the pitchers, we had Rusty Staub, and we thought we had hope.

But as the summer wore on, it was no shock that this wasn’t going to be a Mets year with the big Red Machine in Cincinnati and we are family in Pittsburgh. So sometime in June, or even earlier we started to hear about this kid rippin’ it up down in Tidewater. The Mets would be losing a game with maybe two hits total, and Ralph or Bob Murphy would let us know that down on the farm this kid Vail had 3 hits again.

The hype got hotter and hotter as the summer went on, with some reminders that the pitching at triple A wasn’t quite up to the big league level so calling up this Vail kid might not work out. Mike Vail went on to win the International League Player of the Year award in 1975. Although the announcers stuck to the line that we probably wouldn’t see him until September, if at all, suddenly at the end of August Mike Vail appeared in a Mets uniform.

Vail got into his first game against the Houston Astros and got a hit. He then proceeded to hit in a total of 23 straight games, setting a then Mets team record and a major league record for rookies (since broken). The fans couldn’t have been happier. A kid that actually lived up to the promise. No, on the baseball field in 1975, Mike Vail was not a dork. Mike Vail ruled.

So why are we writing about him here in the dork column (see criteria below re: Stork Theodore) ?

On the basketball court, Mike Vail was a dork.

During a winter pickup game, Mike Vail either got faked out of his shoes, or couldn’t fake left and go right, or closed his eyes to take a charge, or whatever and ended up with a dislocated foot, despite his Pro Keds, tube socks, head band and short shorts.

Not a big deal for a lot of teams, quite a big deal for the Mets.

You see bad GMing wasn’t invented over the last couple of seasons.

The front office decided that more starting pitching was needed, and they traded for the once great Mickey Lolich from the Detroit Tigers. Mickey had a great World series in 1968 winning 3 complete games and had been a steady performer. Of course, in 1975 it fell apart for Mickey and he ended up losing 18 games for a bad Tigers team. So who should the Mets trade for this aged star with an enormous pot belly? None other than Le Grande Orange, Rusty Staub. They probably thought Rusty was getting a little old and probably a little expensive, but hey with this new kid Vail what do we need Rusty for?

The trade was made and shortly thereafter Vail’s foot exploded and the rest is history.

Staub went on to have 3 consecutive years with Detroit where he had over 100 rbi.

Lolich came to the Mets in 1976 and went 8-13. He then retired after the season and opened a donut shop back in Michigan.

Vail finally came back sometime in 1976 with a noticeable limp and no speed and ended the season with a .217 average. He did a little better the next year, but was never what the Mets thought they had. He ended up leaving the Mets for Cleveland and played for 4 other teams as he ended up becoming a baseball dork also.

That’s it kids. Look forward to more remembrances from Bossman Senior right here.

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