Mets are out of it before Mother’s Day
Celtics die by the three
Good morning, all and happy Sunday!
I once asked Lindsey Nelson, the “Voice of the New York Mets,” what that magical 1969 season was like for the Mets. “For one thing, the Mets were not out of the pennant race by Mother’s Day,” he answered.
Guess what? It is one week before Mother’s Day and the Mets are not only out of the pennant race, they are out of the wild card race too.
Following last night’s 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Los Angeles Angels, the Mets are now 12 1/2 games behind division-leading Atlanta and 8 1/2 games out in the wild card chase, putting them in last place in both races. The Mets own MLB’s worst record at 11-22. Rubbing more salt into the wounds, Ronnie Mauricio, who lifted the Mets to a rare victory Friday night with a home run, fractured his thumb diving into first base last night. He is now on the IL, along with the shortstop he replaced, Francisco Lindor.
I know the head of baseball ops David Stearns has stated manager Carlos Mendoza’s job is safe, but is Stearns about to walk the unemployment line? Bottom line is this, something has got to give. As the losses mount, either Stearns and/or Mendoza are going to walk the plank. The loyal fanbase is in revolt.
That said, even if change comes, the Mets are so bad, their season is beyond rescue. It is going to be a long summer in Queens. And it’s not even Mother’s Day.
Celtics die by the three
A funny thing happened on the Boston Celtics way to a second round NBA playoff matchup with the rival New York Knicks; they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, 109-100, in the deciding seventh game of their first round matchup last night. And they lost at home, no less.
The Celtics had never lost a seventh game in the playoffs, when leading a series 3-1, until last night. They were 32-0 in those series.
Boston’s insistence on centering its offense around the three-point basket, came back to bite them in the end. Over the final three games of the series, the Celtics shot just 29 percent from beyond the arc and were 0-for-9 in three-pointers down the stretch last night, after cutting the Sixers lead from 17 to one point. Three times, they had the chance to take the lead in the closing minutes and three times they missed their shots.
Now there are stories coach Joe Mazzulla could win NBA Coach of the Year and be fired at the same time. It has happened before. When Joe Girardi managed the then Florida Marlins, he was fired the same year he was named NL Manager of the Year.
Stay tuned!
Thank you Bing
The legendary entertainer Bing Crosby was born on this date in 1903. We have Bing to thank for preserving a major part of baseball history.
Until his death in 1977, der Bingle owned 25 percent of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1960, when his Pirates defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series, Crosby and his family were out of the country, touring Europe. In the days before video recorders, Crosby was determined to watch the games, when he returned. So he had someone take a video camera and focus it on the TV set to tape the games.
Because TV networks saved very little of those early days, we have Crosby to thank for the preservation of the dramatic seventh game, when Bill Mazeroski hit the walk-off homer in Game Seven to beat the Yankees.
Louis Armstrong once said, Crosby had a voice that “dripped like honey.” We also have him to thank for saving one of baseball’s all-time moments.
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DAN