Author: Shannon Shark @metspolice

I have been watching the Jordan doc and LOVING it.  I am not an NBA fan, will maybe perhaps watch one minute of NBA a year (although I love the video game) but this doc is great, and it got me thinking about MLB and SUPER-STARS.

Baseball used to have SUPER stars.  One that comes to mind is Reggie Jackson.

There he is on The Love Boat.  He’s in The Naked Gun.  He had his own candy bar.  He hit three home runs in a World Series game.  That’s a super star.

These days the Baseball Mafia will point to someone like this.

You know…that guy.  I am sure you recognize him.

I think baseball has had a pretty bad 21st Century.  If you are a fan of the Cubs or Red Sox you finally got yours…but other than that, it’s been meh.

We had Bonds smashing both home run records…but people didn’t like him and he didn’t play nice with the media, so neither were really celebrated.  Compare that to the 90s where baseball had HUGE moments like Ripken breaking the streak record or the whole McGwire/Sosa thing (even if everyone was looking the other way on the Truth).

Big moments this century?  Well, George Bush threw a great first strike.  Is he baseball’s greatest hero?

This all makes me wonder who baseball’s last superstar was?  I think my twitter pal Nick is right – the answer is Derek Jeter.  Jeter transcended the sport – pinstripes help, I am not sure there would have been such a thing as Pirates Superstar Derek Jeter.  Good looks.  Stayed out of trouble.  Said the right things.  He was a superstar.

Let’s look at the MVP’s this century. There are plenty of nice players, good players, star players.  But no SUPERstars.   Bonds?  Not beloved.  He ALMOST makes it, but more disliked than liked….that can’t be a superstar.  Albert Pujols? Joey Votto? Buster Posey?  All nice players but not SUPERstars.

A-Rod?  Might have been…but winds up in that Bonds camp of more disliked than liked…and there’s that whole year long suspension everyone seems to want to ignore because he’s good on TV and wanted to buy the Mets.

Josh Hamilton, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout?  Nope.   Good players, but you’re not booking then on The Love Boat.

My buddy Matt Harvey might have pulled it off if he had the talent to match the fartboy tendencies.  A version of The Dark Knight who was winning 20 games, driving sports cars, banging models and going on late night shows might have made it.   Thor has the right mix – but again needs to have JDG’s stats to get there.   If we could combine the two of them into one SUPERstar who won back to back CYA while walking around Times Square in a deliberately too small Thor costume….maybe could get there.

Vulgar Pete?  Let’s see what happens.  Right now he’s in that Early Harvey stage.  He’s enjoying the spotlight, and backing it up at the plate.  Did the Late Night Thing (although Harvey on Fallon was wayyyyyyyyy funnier than Vulgar Pete on Kimmel).  Has a cool nickname.  He could maybe get there if he can be Paul Bunyan more than once or twice.

Let me take another approach and work backward through the HOF inductees.  Jeter.   Larry Walker, SUPERstar.  Nope.  Baines, Halladay, Edgar, Mussina.  Nope.

Mariano?  GREAT player.  Top star in the sport.  SUPERstar you are booking in a movie?  Nope.

Cherry-picking some more names:  Bagwell, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper…..I’m back to Griffey Jr. before I come to a name I would consider.

Mark McGwire?  YEP.   The man who saved baseball.  Made the country watch baseball all summer.  And yet you won’t let him into your museum next to Baines and a full time DH.

Jeter?  At least there were occasional “must see” games – his 3000th hit, his final game – the kind of stuff you’d skip out on your own Major League Team That You Are On to go watch.  I’m not sure anyone is going out their way to watch Christian Yelich.

The baseball mafia will get mad at me, and you’ll probably comment on the Facebook page…but baseball does not have a SUPERstar and I’m not sure one is coming.

Was Jeter the sport’s last transcendent star?  Maybe.

Before PEDs became a thing in baseball, hitting 500 homeruns actually meant something.  In fact over the first 120 year or so of professional baseball, only 15 players reached that mark (compared to 12 since).  So when Mel Ott hit 511 for the New York Giants over the course of 22 seasons between the 1920s and 1940s, it was something special.

In addition to his power, Ott also hit for average (lifetime .304) and was one of the best defensive outfielders in the game with a rifle of an arm.

The Giants seem to be the forgotten NY team, and Ott the forgotten right fielder, but he was arguably the best player in New York Giants history (remember Willie Mays played most of his career in San Francisco).

Mel Ott is not forgotten here – he is easily an Immortal

For some background on what this is, check out the introduction post here.

Oh this is so tasteless.  I don’t care if this is “really” sent by MLBAM, the email comes from “Mets.com” so it’s The Mets.

Whatever his faults, George Steinbrenner didn’t let MLB run roughshod with his brand – Jeff call up MLB and read them the riot act.  This is a bad tasteless look.  And shame on you Sneaker Company.

Thanks to person who submitted this.

 

We’ve learned a lot about comedians this month.  Maybe it’s not that they love winning so much, maybe it’s just that they run for the hills when the Mets are losing.   In this time of not-losing, they still seem to be supporting the Mets.

First we had the Mets sharing this video of Breuer and Vulgar Pete, which appears to have been filmed in a more innocent time back when sluggers didn’t need to socially distance themselves from comedians.

And now Kevin James has released a short unfunny film on YouTube in which he wears this cap.

It’s good to see the comedians supporting the Mets – and given that the season won’t start until July, maybe we’ll actually hear from them after May 1st for a change. As you know, comedians usually tour during the summer and aren’t able to attend as many Mets games after May 1 as they do during the annual April winning streaks.   Or maybe they are just like me and realize there is no reason to attend a baseball game and waste 7 hours of your day when you have a nice TV at home.

Anyway, interesting cap choice for KJ.  It’s not the best cap, but not the worst either.  Also it looks like Kevin likes USA Soccer.  I will assume it’s the Women’s Team he supports since they win.

New Era needs to admit they have run out of ideas.  Here is proof.