06/30/2002
Piazza returns to All-Star Game
Mike Piazza will be the Mets lone representative at this year's All-Star Game in Milwaukee on July 9. The Mets catcher was voted by the fans to be the National League's starting catcher.
Piazza has been named to 10 All-Star teams.
In one of the closest NL races, Montreal's Jose Vidro narrowly defeated Roberto Alomar to earn the starting nod at second base.
06/30/2002
Vidro edges Alomar for All-Star bid
For the first time since 1989, Roberto Alomar will not participate in the Mid-summer Classic. Montreal's Jose Vidro edged out Alomar in the final days of online voting to get the start as the National League second baseman in Milwaukee on July 9.
Alomar, who said that he could use a break, is going to take three days to relax at his home in Florida.
06/30/2002
Komiyama out
RHP Grant Roberts was activated from the disabled list on Sunday and RHP Satoru Komiyama was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk of the International League to make room for him on the roster.
06/29/2002
Mets knock out Lilly, Yankees
Al Leiter benefitted from an offensive outburst by his teammates en route to an 11-2 victory over the Yankees on Saturday. Mo Vaughn (left), Mike Piazza and Vance Wilson each hit home runs as the Mets evened the three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
06/29/2002
Vaughn remains hot against Yanks
Mo Vaughn hasn't exactly been himself since becoming a member of the Mets in the offseason. He has struggled at the plate and in the field. But the swagger is back as Vaughn appears to be rounding into the player once known as "Hit Dog".
06/29/2002
Cedeno hears call to steal home
Roger Cedeno danced off third base in the fourth inning Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, but never had any intention of running.
06/28/2002
Posada powers Yanks past Mets
Yankees catcher Jorge Posada came at the Mets from all sides on Friday in the first game of the second round of the Subway Series -- all sides of home plate, that is. Posada hit a pair of home runs, one from each side of the plate, as the Yankees defeated their crosstown rivals, 11-5, at Yankee Stadium.
06/27/2002
Mets reliever having tests after seizure
Mets reliever Mark Corey continued to undergo tests Thursday to determine the cause of the seizure he suffered Wednesday night. Corey, 27, suffered the seizure outside the Queens hotel at which he is staying shortly after leaving Shea Stadium following Wednesday's 6-3 loss to Atlanta.
Mets general manager Steve Phillips said that a battery of tests was being conducted at The New York Hospital for Joint Diseases by team physicians. As of late Thursday afternoon no cause had been found for the seizure.
Phillips added that Corey, who has no history of any physical problems, appeared to be in no immediate danger. Mets manager Bobby Valentine said he spoke with Corey on Thursday and said that other than being weak, the reliever said he was fine.
In the meantime, Corey was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 26. Jaime Cerda was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to fill his spot on the roster.
Teammate Tony Tarasco was with Corey when he was stricken around 11:30 p.m. Corey does not have a car and had asked Tarasco to drive him back to the hotel where he has stayed since being recalled from Norfolk on June 13. Tarasco said that Corey was complaining of light-headedness as they arrived at the hotel and began "sweating profusely" before going into convulsions in the car.
06/25/2002
Mets co-owner balks at appraisal
Nelson Doubleday, Chairman of the Board for the Mets, said Tuesday that he's ready to sell his share of the team. Before the Mets played the Braves on Tuesday at Shea Stadium, Doubleday spoke to the media about the 50 percent share of the team he has put up for sale, his pending lawsuit regarding its value and the current state of the team.
Doubleday, 68, has discussed selling his share since last year, but so far no progress has been made on a deal. On Oct. 15, 2001, Doubleday exercised a 15-year-old agreement that required him to sell his share at a price set by an independent appraiser.
Doubleday, who has co-owned the Mets with President and Chief Operating Officer Fred Wilpon since buying the team for $80.75 million in 1986, was looking to sell his share for around $500 million.
On April 15, the appraiser valued his percentage of the team at under $450 million. Doubleday did not agree with the figure, and says he plans to challenge it. Doubleday had 120 days from April 15 to accept the price. He said on Tuesday that he plans on filing a lawsuit based upon how the figure was reached.
"If (the appraiser) didn't use the proper method to make one and one get to two, then you have a lawsuit," Doubleday said. He said there is no timetable on when the sale may take place since the timetable for the lawsuit will be determined by the court system.
"I'm sorry this has dragged on," Doubleday said. "It's dragged on for over a year." While Doubleday's future ownership of the team is uncertain, he continues to keep an eye on what is happening on the field.
"I wish we could score more than two runs," Doubleday said, referring to Monday's 3-2 loss to Atlanta. He said that neither general manager Steve Phillips nor manager Bobby Valentine should be blamed for the Mets' 38-37 record. Wilpon announced last week that both men will serve the full terms of their contracts.
"I don't think you can point at Steve and I don't think you can point at the players," Doubleday said. "It just turned out that way. I don't know whether the water is bad in New York, but to have four guys (Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, Roger Cedeno, Jeromy Burnitz) come in and add to what we already have here and wind up not getting runs when we should, it's very frustrating."
Doubleday added that building a team and making a team work should not be left in an owner's hands.
"I think it is very dangerous for ownership to get involved with picking who should play second base or shortstop or catcher or pitcher," Doubleday said.
Though his team trails the Braves by 8 1/2 games in the NL East, Doubleday thinks there is still time for the Mets to make a comeback.
"The National League is tough," Doubleday said. "I think we have some allies that will help us beat the Braves.
06/24/2002
Kazmir leaning toward college
When high school sensation Scott Kazmir slipped through the first 14 picks of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, the Mets were elated. That such a highly touted prospect -- most were projecting the Kazmir as a top three pick -- would still be on the board by the time the Mets exercised the 15th pick generated a great deal of excitement in the draft war room at Shea Stadium.
That enthusiasm has been tempered, though. Nearly three weeks after the Mets chose Kazmir, all indications are that he will not sign. Rather, indications are he will go on to play for the University of Texas, which defeated South Carolina on Saturday to win the College World Series.
Kazmir, 18, hasn't signed with an agent yet but is being advised by Brian Peters, an associate of agent Jeff Moorad. Moorad is also Mo Vaughn's agent. When reached Monday evening, Peters told MLB.com that Kazmir is leaning towards Texas. The Mets would have until classes begin to sign Kazmir. Once he attends a four-year school, the Mets will lose his rights.
The Mets aren't allowed to comment on a pick until he signs but sources indicated they weren't worried and that there is plenty of time to work out a deal.
06/23/2002
Mets get 'angry,' then get win
The Mets got angry.
At least that's what they said after topping the Royals, 5-4, on Sunday afternoon at Shea Stadium. That it took a spectacular catch by Kansas City's Raul Ibanez in the sixth inning to get the Mets' dander up could be a telling sign with the Braves coming to town for a four-game series.
Ibanez robbed Edgardo Alfonzo of a home run in the sixth, reaching over the wall in left to snare what would have been a score-tying three-run shot. Bobby Valentine's charges went on to score twice in the seventh and eighth innings, and Valentine said Ibanez's catch was the motivating factor.
"We just got angry in the dugout after that," Valentine said.
So, where was the anger before? Sure, the Mets have gone 6-3 so far on the current homestand and have won all three series'. But they struggled mightily to beat the Royals, only winning the series after Kansas City's bullpen imploded. It seems they have been angry long before Shea was bathed in shadows late Sunday afternoon.
06/20/2002
Estes will pay the fine
Shawn Estes said he wouldn't appeal any fine imposed by Major League Baseball as a result of his attempt to hit Roger Clemens with a pitch on Saturday. Estes laughed when asked about a possible appeal, saying he just wanted the whole episode put to rest.
As of Wednesday evening, though, Estes had not been officially served with the paperwork but said the fine was $750.
The idea that he would be fined at all left some people scratching their heads. Clemens had said he would "introduce himself" to Barry Bonds' heavily protected right elbow and then ended up hitting him but was not fined after an investigation by baseball's Vice-President On-Field Operations, Bob Watson.
Watson said Estes violated rule 8.02(d), which prevents a pitcher from throwing intentionally at a batter. "Now there is some stuff about who was and who wasn't kidding," manager Bobby Valentine said. "It seems like a pitcher will kid about it before every game. I'm going to hit [Roberto] Alomar, only kidding. I'm going to hit Timo [Perez], only kidding. I'm going to hit Mike [Piazza], only kidding. I don't know what all the criteria are but it might be a different standard if not a double standard.
"We've had incidents the last few years where our guys have been hit and pitchers haven't been reprimanded or fined. [Last year] Turk [Wendell] missed a hitter and he was fined. Shawn missed a hitter and he was fined. I don't get it."
General manager Steve Phillips said that Watson "saw intent" in Estes' pitch Saturday and that intent wasn't there in the Bonds-Clemens scenario.
"When you hold it up to the decision with the Bonds situation, it doesn't feel right," Phillips said. "I think it was all about intent. I guess this was a different situation. He deemed Clemens was joking that the comments were made in jest. I told Shawn he should say he jokingly threw it behind him. That defense seems to work."
6/18/2002
Twins top Mets to take opener
The small-market Twins got the better of the big-money Mets with a 6-1 victory in the opener of a three-game series at Shea Stadium Tuesday evening.
Minnesota jacked three home runs as Johan Santana held the Mets to just one run and three-hits over six innings to earn the victory. New York's Jeff D'Amico was saddled with the loss.
06/18/2002
Estes to be fined for Clemens pitch
Before Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins, Mets southpaw Shawn Estes discovered that he will be fined an undisclosed amount for throwing behind the Yankees' Roger Clemens in Saturday's victory. "I'm a little bit surprised," Estes said.
"I always thought it was, 'No harm, no foul.' Baseball must have thought intent was involved. There was nothing that I said that would warrant any fine."
06/17/2002
Vaughn conquers Wells, Yankees
Please welcome Mo Vaughn to the Big Apple. Sure, he's been present for 2 1/2 months. But he hasn't been a presence. That all changed with one majestic swing Sunday night. You wanted to feel the pressure and bask in the intensity you had missed during three years with the Angels on the Left Coast, Mo? Is this intense enough?
Relatively speaking, it had been only candle-powered before Vaughn turned up the voltage. He put a charge into a David Wells fastball in the eighth inning Sunday night for a three-run homer that lifted the Mets to a 3-2 victory over the Yankees, and beyond.
Vaughn was left with the same expectations after the Mets had taken the Subway Series rubber game. "A game, a weekend, like this can take you to the next level in your mind-set. It could get us going in the direction we need to go. Hope it happens from now on."
For 10 weeks, Mo (and Mets fans) waited for it to happen like this. For Mo to stride into the batter's box in a clutch late-inning situation, representing the game-turning run, menacingly hunch over the plate -- and unleash that menace.
06/15/2002
Estes, Piazza blast off Rocket
The Mets finally avenged a two-year-old incident against Roger Clemens on Saturday at Shea Stadium. Starting pitcher Shawn Estes and Mike Piazza each homered off the Rocket as the Mets cruised to an 8-0 victory over their crosstown rivals. Estes earned a measure of respect from Mets fans in the third inning as he threw a pitch behind Clemens, who had beaned Piazza in 2000.
06/14/2002
Mets bullpen can't hold late lead
Armando Benitez sat at one end of the Mets clubhouse, explaining his actions to the media as the clock crept into Saturday morning at Shea Stadium. On the opposite end of the clubhouse, Satoru Komiyama was busy waiting his turn, waiting for the media horde to get his thoughts on what went wrong earlier in the evening against the Yankees.
Komiyama had just served up a two-run homer to former Met Robin Ventura in the top of the 10th inning. The blast, which went over the right-center field wall, gave the Yanks a 4-2 victory in the first game of the Subway Series. While Komiyama's record dropped to 0-3, Benitez has to shoulder an equal amount of the blame after blowing what would have been his 15th save an inning earlier.
Jorge Posada had led off the 10th with a double, setting the stage for Ventura. Komiyama had limited left-handed batters to a .216 batting average and only one home run through 18 appearances this season. But he never came close to fooling Ventura, who crushed the 1-0 fastball for his 16th round tripper to become the hero in his first game back at Shea.
It marked the first time in 29 games this season the Mets had lost when leading heading into the ninth inning.
Benitez's letdown proved to be more disturbing. He had come on in the eighth inning to bail David Weathers out of a jam and got Enrique Wilson to ground out to first, ending a threat. With a 2-1 lead entering the ninth, Benitez struck out Shane Spencer to start the inning.
But rookie Marcus Thames blooped a ground-rule double down the left-field line off a slider that really didn't slide to give the Yanks life. It was a hanging slider on an 0-2 pitch that the rookie drilled.
Alfonso Soriano flied out to left for the second out of the inning, leaving only Derek Jeter standing between Benitez and victory. History was on Benitez' side. He had faced Jeter seven times in his career and retired him on each occasion, six of which coming via the strikeout. Jeter said he wasn't worried about what he had done in the past against Benitez and it showed. He attacked a 1-1 slider, a pitch that broke his bat, and looped a hit into shallow centerfield to score Thames.
06/13/2002
Mets try to put road behind them
After concluding a disappointing 4-8 road trip with a 2-1 loss to the White Sox on Wednesday, the Mets were more than ready to head for the comforts of home. The Mets return to Shea Stadium on Friday to face their crosstown rival, the New York Yankees, in the opener of a three-game series. The Interleague showdown also begins a season-long 13-game homestand.
06/13/2002
Mets choose Chambliss as hitting coach
Chris Chambliss was introduced as the Mets' new hitting coach Thursday and said he has a "big job ahead" in getting the Mets out of their season-long funk at the plate. As he dives into his assignment, he also mentioned that it would be best if any other advice for Mets batters was channeled through him.
06/12/2002
Piazza finds humor in matchup with Clemens
With talk show phone lines lighting up all around New York, it is easy to say that Mets fans are looking forward to Roger Clemens making a start for the Yankees at Shea Stadium on Saturday. He became a pressure point for Mets fans in 2000 when it appeared that he targeted Mike Piazza twice during the season. Players and managers for both sides say that the buildup for the confrontation has no bearing on the game.
6/10/2002
Engle dismissed as Mets hitting coach
The strugging Mets offense produced its first casualty Monday as hitting coach Dave Engle was reassigned to a position in New York's minor league system. A replacement has not been named, but general manager Steve Phillips said that the team's next hitting coach will come from outside of the organization.
Bench coach Tom Robson, who served as the Mets hitting coach on two separate occasions (Oct. 17, 1996-June 6, 1999 and 2000), will coordinate team hitting drills and batting practice until a hitting coach is named.
In 1999, Phillips fired three coaches on June 6. Whether it was a direct or indirect result, the Mets went 40-15 in their next 55 games, eventually qualified for the postseason and lost in the ALCS to the Braves.
The Mets entered Monday's slate of games ranked near the bottom of the National League in several offensive categories including average (14), runs (13), hits (13), home runs (15), slugging percentage (16) and on-base percentage (14).
Engle, 45, was named the Mets' hitting coach in December 2000. The team hit just .249 last season, ranking 15th in the league. Both Phillips and manager Bobby Valentine informed him of the decision Monday morning.
06/07/2002
Slumping Burnitz takes a seat
Jeromy Burnitz has been in a season-long funk. His batting average has dropped to .198 and he has struck out a team-high 55 times. Mets manager Bobby Valentine has opted to sit the struggling slugger for at least three games and play Tony Tarasco, who was promoted from Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday, in right field.
Burnitz has played in an average of 157 games in four of the last five seasons. The only year that he didn't reach that average was 1999 when a broken bone in his right hand limited him to 130 games. Though he has achieved a reputation as a bulldog who never wants to sit, Burnitz took no umbrage with manager Bobby Valentine over having to spend time on the bench.
06/04/2002
Kazmir lands in New York
To the surprise of no one, the Mets went with pitching with their first pick in the 2002 draft. To the surprise of almost everyone in the organization, however, hard-throwing high school hurler Scott Kazmir was available when New York made the 15th selection in the first round on Tuesday.
The Cypress Falls High [Texas] southpaw, rated by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect available in the draft, was high on the draft board of several teams. Kazmir, who has committed to the University of Texas, was expected to go in the top five, possibly to Cincinnati at No. 3.
"I am a little surprised but I couldn't be happier since I'm going to the Mets," Kazmir said. "It's a team I didn't think I had a chance to go to based on what I had been told but I am thrilled." The six-foot, 175-pounder is wiry and sports a high leg kick and possesses a durable and lively arm. Kazmir, 17, has a fastball that consistently clocks in the mid-90s and has topped out as high as 97 mph. His fastball has a great deal of movement and explodes as it reaches the plate.
Kazmir doesn't rely solely on bringing the heat. He throws a slider at approximately 81 mph and a curveball at 82-83 mph and has recently begun experimenting with a change-up.
"People ask me to compare Scott to [fellow Texan and current Florida Marlin] Josh Beckett," said Phil Cross, coach of the Houston Heat, a summer-league team for which Kazmir played. Cross coached against Beckett when he played in the same league. "In a way, it's not fair. Josh is 6-4 and right-handed. Scott is 6-foot and left-handed. Josh has more power but Scott has better command and that's the big difference." Cross also coached current Mets reliever Scott Strickland.
06/01/2002
Tempers flare in Mets' loss
Mets manager Bobby Valentine said umpired Ed Rapuano bumped him during a heated exchange in the bottom of the seventh Saturday at Pro Player Stadium. Afterwards, Rapuano didn't say anything as the umpires declined commenting to the media on what exactly happened in an animated argument during the Marlins' dramatic 9-7 win.
"I was walking off the field and he bumped me," Valentine said. "What is this, the Gestapo?" No, it was a wild baseball game where tempers boiled over ball-and-strike calls by home plate umpire Mark Wegner.
Setting off the sparks was a series of barbs between Wegner and Mets catcher Mike Piazza. In the top of the seventh, Marlins reliever Oswaldo Mairena fanned Piazza, who argued the pitch was outside.
The jawing began as Piazza headed to the dugout. Valentine vented his opinions, first from the steps and then after a short walk toward Wegner.
But the lid really blew off in the bottom of the seventh when leadoff batter Cliff Floyd took two straight balls. The second, in Piazza's eyes, looked a lot like the pitch that got him on strikes.
"Anything close, and Piazza was going to give him hell," Floyd said. "He let him have it." According to Floyd, from the crouch position Piazza said: "That's a strike." Wegner disagreed. Instantly, Piazza blurted out a few profanities, leading to an ejection and a tirade. Piazza went berserk arguing, and was pulled away from Wegner by Valentine, pitching coach Charlie Hough and first baseman Mo Vaughn, who moseyed into the mix.
"I felt it was a pitch we weren't getting as well," Piazza said. "I thought it was inconsistent and I'm sticking up for our pitchers. Obviously, I was a little heated. It just wasn't the same for everybody." Fueling Piazza's fury was the fact he saw a TV monitor replay of his strikeout. That further convinced him he was right.
"It was a little bit of an attitude and I didn't appreciate it," Piazza said. Protecting his player, Valentine joined the argument and was tossed by Rapuano. But was there a bump?
Players in the Mets dugout saw one. Floyd, however, says he didn't. "I was looking," Floyd said. "If there was, they will see it on the replay." "Our bench questions balls and strikes less than anybody in this league," Valentine said. "(Piazza) thought he could have a little leeway, but he didn't have enough rope."
The Mets felt starter Jeff D'Amico wasn't getting a fair shake on the outside pitch. As the Mets argued, the Marlins watched. "It was kind of amusing," Floyd said. "That was a good argument. There was a lot of bleeping going on."
With a crowd of 33,291 screaming for both teams at Pro Player Stadium, and a close game, Floyd said the environment was right for Valentine to get into the spotlight. "You knew Bobby V. would get in there," Floyd said. "He stood up for Mike. He did what he had to do." Florida's Mike Lowell, who was on deck, said the arguing was a classic exchange.
"They were both in each other's face," said Lowell, who hit a tie-breaking homer in the same inning. "It was like when Earl Weaver and Billy Martin went at it with those old umpires. "I think this was a good game. Everybody got their money's worth."