Philadelphia Phillies
Your Less-Chokey 2008 Mets
It was easy to think back to New York’s epic collapse in 2007, when the Mets lost a seven-game lead with seventeen left to play, after New York lost to the Phillies on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. The results allowed Philadelphia to move within a game of the Mets, before the series conclusion on Sunday night.
But from start to finish, the Mets showed in their 6-3 victory over Philadelphia on Sunday night that however the season turns out, their 2008 club is a different model from last year’s.
Most obvious among these differences is the presence of Johan Santana, who entered the night with an ERA at Shea Stadium of just 1. read more »
LOL: Phillies Catch Mets Disease
New York’s 8-7, 13-inning loss to Philadelphia Tuesday night played out like a single-game version of the Mets’ 2007 collapse. In fact, the Mets even managed a miniature replica of last September, when they blew a seven-game lead with seventeen games to play, by losing a seven-run lead with seventeen outs to play.
But while the Mets won’t – shouldn’t -- stop hearing about their 2007 collapse until they clinch a division title, Wednesday night’s 6-3, come-from-behind victory was much more indicative of the season New York has had, both against the Phillies and as a whole. Despite New York’s bullpen struggles, 2008 simply hasn’t been 2007. read more »
The Problem With the Marlins
Last September, the Mets hosted the Marlins at Shea Stadium, but the cellar-dwelling Marlins could do little besides play spoiler to New York’s season. The 2008 Marlins began a three-game series at Shea Friday night fresh off of taking two of three from the Phillies, and very much in the hunt for a National League East title.
While the Marlins lost two of three to New York this weekend, Florida still stands just ½ game behind New York and 2 ½ games behind division-leading Philadelphia. But the only major change from 2007 to 2008 was dealing Miguel Cabrera, one of the finest hitters in baseball, for a package that has delivered little to the big league club. read more »
It Was Jimmy Rollins ... in the Stadium ... With a Bat
Jimmy Rollins may have killed the Mets, but he’s not owning up to it just yet.
“Last year is last year, and that team knows it,” Rollins said of the Mets following Philadelphia’s 5-2 win on Tuesday. The game was the first between the two clubs since New York squandered a seven-game lead over Philadelphia with 17 games to play at the end of the 2007 season—one of the greatest, most humiliating collapses in baseball history. read more »
Introducing the Substitute
Greetings Politicker readers!
So as Josh Benson wrote, he and the rest of the usual gang are taking the next week off. They've left me with the keys to this mean machine. At present, I'm still figuring out how to work the clutch. Please bear with me if I grind the gears a bit.
Luckily, it's the week before Christmas, so it's bound to be a nice, easy, indictment-free week. Oh... rats. Oh... RATS!
Who am I? I am a former reporter for the Observer, where I covered real estate development and politics and wrote many prescient articles, such as the August 20, 2001 cover story: "Who's Hot in the Mayor's Race? Lonely Peter Vallone!" What have I been doing lately? I am writing a book about a place where politics is a form of warfare, fought between shifting coalitions of religions and tribes, and laden with intrigue and corruption--that is, Uganda. How did I end up doing this job over Christmas? The same way I lost my dad's Oldsmobile: I bet on the Phillies.
So, let's have a fun the Yuletide week. If you have anything to tell me, anonymously or otherwise, please just stuff it in my stocking at andrewrice75@yahoo.com, or post a comment below. I'll be waiting with nervous anticipation.
--Andrew RiceCorey Lidle Dies In Plane Crash
Corey Lidle and his plane.
The New York Times is now carrying official police identification of one of two bodies found at the scene of today's airplane crash as Yankees pitcher Corey Lidle.
CNN had reported:
New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre told CNN that the plane that was a Cirrus SR-20 registered to team pitcher Cory Lidle.
In a somewhat bitter irony, The Times offers "related articles" on the side which include this Tyler Kepner piece about Lidle and his plane:
He is Cory Lidle, who has been a major league pitcher for nine years and a pilot for seven months. He earned his pilot's license last off-season and bought a four-seat airplane for $187,000. It is a Cirrus SR20, built in 2002, with fewer than 400 hours in the air. read more »- Tom McGeveranA player-pilot is still a sensitive topic for the Yankees, whose captain, Thurman Munson, was killed in the crash of a plane he was flying in 1979. Lidle, acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies on July 30, said his plane was safe.
"The whole plane has a parachute on it," Lidle said. "Ninety-nine percent of pilots that go up never have engine failure, and the 1 percent that do usually land it. But if you're up in the air and something goes wrong, you pull that parachute, and the whole plane goes down slowly."
Can Rudy Pass As Republican? Hillary Helps
Moby Moves and Bobby Buys
New York Magazine's Deborah Schoeneman reports this week that Moby recently closed on a $4.5 million penthouse on Central Park West. Ms. Schoenenman, who's good pals with the vegan musician (seen with him here via New York Social Diary), certainly knows where to find a scoop. Also, Lower East Side hipsters fear not: Moby will "continue to use his Nolita apartment as an office and to frequent his Rivington Street café, teany." Phew! We were really nervous for a minute there.
S.Jhoanna Robledo follows up on a story The Observer reported in May regarding Phillies slugger Bobby Abreu's real-estate dealings. In April, the home run derby champ closed on a condo at the star-studded One Beacon Court, and now he's just bought a $2.5 million apartment on East 53rd Street. read more »
-Michael Calderone
