Hernandez [cutting him off]: I don’t know. I have a hard enough time, Gary, you know, doing my job. I can’t worry about these little details.
Cohen: But this is part of your job, worrying about these little details. And it’s part of my job to bug you about these little details.
Hernandez [audibly annoyed]: As far as I’m concerned, it is not part of analysis.
There’s much more to it, I just chose to excerpt the curmudgeon part. Anyway, I feel like at one point Keith had a “K. Hernandez” jersey but perhaps I imagined it because the only other Hernandez that played during Keith’s tenure was Manny Hernandez on 9/16/89 for his one inning Mets career.
But who knows, maybe there was a K. Hernandez jersey that night. Or maybe I am just thinking of the D. Johnson an H. Johnson stuff.
C Patrick Mazeika has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.
INF/OF Brandon Drury has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.
RHP Robert Stock has been claimed from the Chicago Cubs and has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.
Vulgar Pete Alonso is not in today’s starting lineup.
It is wet out, I sure hope The Big Zero doesn’t have problems with his grip all of a sudden, that would be weird.
Stroman has allowed only 14 extra-base hits in 84.1 innings, the second-fewest among the 49 pitchers in the majors who have thrown at least 75.0 innings this season…Only Brandon Woodruff (12) has allowed fewer…Ranks 15th in the majors and 11th in the NL in opponent slugging (.325)…He has four starts this season in which he’s pitched at least 5.0 innings without allowing a single extra-base hit, tied for the second-most in the majors.
Everyday 1B Dominic Smith recorded his 100th career extra-base hit in game one yesterday…He has 11 RBI in June after having eight RBI in both April and May…He had four extra-base hits this April, five in May and now has six so far in June…Smith is batting .346/.356/.475 in 20 games this month.
Harvey is lined up to face the Blue Jays in the second game of the series while a segment of the fan base – impossible to measure because the loudest dissenters tend to post more regularly on social media – wonder why he’s still in the rotation. Or the organization.
Here’s my latest take on Harvey:
He still isn’t blocking anyone who’s viewed within the organization as ready and deserving of a rotation spot.
The popular rant that a replacement “couldn’t do any worse” isn’t a solution. Replacing one problem with another isn’t a solution, or very smart if it has a negative impact on a young pitcher.
Give me better than “couldn’t do any worse.”
Rich then breaks down the situation of some Orioles minor leaguers and I will quickly summarize that they aren’t ready yet.
Rich adds…
The Orioles truly wish that Harvey’s ineffective starts were the biggest issue and came with a simple solution.
They are not. They do not.
So as I have been joking on here, someone has to start, might as well be Matt Harvey.
Dudes I had 59 wins, a ring and a Cy at age 21. Please.
I was listening to Howie last night and I heard him say – paraphrasing here – that the excitement of deGrom starts has surpassed those of Dwight Gooden circa 1985.
No.
Absolutely not.
I couldn’t believe HOWIE of all people said this. Had Wayne said it, I’d be like well Wayne is young and doesn’t know better. Howie definitely knows better. But it sounds like he believed it, and I don’t see how that’s possible.
When Gooden pitched, the stadium rocked. Like actually physically rocked. Gooden owned this town in a way that very few have….maybe Jeter did circa the flip play…..and there’s one other individual I can think of and that was…
HARVEY DAY.
I am aware most of the fanbase doesn’t remember 1986 now, but you guys DO remember Harvey Day, right?
As great as deGrom is, as possible as it is that he’s the second greatest Met of them all, as probable as it is that he’s the second best Mets pitcher of all time, as lovable as he is, as low key as he is….ask yourself, do you feel HARVEY DAY excitement on deGrom day? The answer is of course no.
And now trust your elder that maybe one time Matt touched the excitement that Gooden did every 5 days for a few years there.
So I am not sure what Howie was thinking. Many things have changed…the stadium design, the crowds are smaller, the splintering of everyone’s attention across modern media, baseball not mattering the way it once did…all those may be true, and none of that has anything to do with deGrom’s greatness. deGrom just does not command the attention of the city that Gooden did, or even Matt Harvey did.
deGrom Day more exciting that Gooden in his Prime? No way Howie.
And before I get misconstrued, a reminder that I am the one that coined the phrase The One True Ace, so let’s not act like I don’t like deGrom or think he’s great. It’s David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar. I can like all the songs, but the band rocked louder with Dave.
UPDATE: Howie responded via twitter:
Who said surpassed? Were you at the game? We’re talking about the vibe in the ballpark from the people who were there. From the ovation he received when his name was announced in the starting lineup to the buzz with every pitch it was every bit the event.
