Some New York Mets Blogs to Check Out

Yeah this is a rerun….holiday….low traffic on the site today….

Here’s a look around the blogoverse…mostly Mets sites, but a few other things you may find to be pretty cool.  It’s a mix of big sites, small sites, sites tied to traditional media.   Since Mets Police has started we’ve gotten a few links from bigger sites which were and are tremendously appreciated…and as Mets Police gets bigger I’m happy to help anyone that we can.
In no particular order and with apologies in advance of I leave off anyone who has been good to us….
Mets Walkoffs and Other Minutiae:  I love this site.  I’ve never met this guy but he’s always good to get back to me quickly when I need information like “How many times did John Pacella’s hat fall off in that game against the Pirates?”   One Friday it was a list of 99 players who played for the Mets and Red Sox.  Every time I go there I wonder, “Who knows this stuff?”
Centerfield Maz.  Maz writes what my friend Tony used to call “scorecard stories.”   Maz is more likely to post about the day Ed Kranepool went two for four than he is about last night’s game.   Good retro site that lets us borrow entire articles when we can’t think of anything to write….or when faking-the-blog on a holiday weekend.
Bitter Bill: one of the sports blogs on the Daily News website.  Bill has a good tone that’s a mix of “Joe Fan” and professional sports-writing.  Anyone who calls Jeremy reed “Baba Booey” is riding the fence just right.  Bill writes as if he is one blown save from killing himself.
Mets Blog; you probably know about this one.  The biggest one, the grandaddy of them all, and with ties to SNY a good source of official information without being propaganda the way mets.com is   I’ve become a fan of “the least you should know” which is a quicky game recap that will let you bluff some water cooler talk with your friends if you missed the game.
Amazin’ Avenue is another biggie.  They seem to enjoy razzing Mets Blog but I stay out of all that stuff.   I’m a big fan of their daily Applesauce links, and if you’re lucky enough to get them to link to your blog on Applesauce you see your traffic go way up.
Always Amazin’  is the Mets blog on nj.com    A nice mix of news, opinion and a healthy dose of links.  I’ll bet if you live east of the Hudson that this is off your radar.  Bookmark it.
The Kranepool Society.  Another biggie that will move the numbers if they link to you.  Plus they know who Ed Kranepool is, which should be one of the questions you need to answer to enter Citi Field.
Uni Watch.   If you like our complaining about uniforms, this takes it to an entirely different level.
New Stadium Insider – a Yankee blog but my vote for blog of the year.  Some people have called NSI the “cousins” to the MP.  They write about the same kinds of things that we do (just Yankees-centric) like obstructed seats and annoying owners.   Even if you don’t care about the Yankees it is worth visiting them every day.   Extra credit for live-streaming video from the Citi Field exhibition games.
Flushing 9:  Imagine if there were a newspaper (like the old “National”) that did nothing but cover the Mets.  Nice layout and not as “bloggy” as some sites including mine.
Flushing University:  another magaziney blog…each day there is a featured column from a different writer, and I am the Monday columnist.
Checked Swing:  “A Frequently Irreverent Look At Baseball From A British Fan.”  Thomas is a frequent commenter here on MP and knows his stuff.
Faith and Fear In Flushing.   He got a book deal.  That alone deserves respect.
Never Forget 69   This one was off my radar, so I’m glad I asked people to send in links.  A nice back and forth of a recap from the most recent ’09 game and the same-date game in 1969.
The ‘Ropolitans. Oh to be young again.  Steady content from a guy who I think is still in college.  Often love blogs the weekday day games which is fun while at work.
On The Black   He’s promised me he’s changing the color scheme, but I’ve linked to his videos in the past.  Another blog I’m under-familiar with but happy to include.
Section Six: is pretty upset about the LF overhang.   I like miltant Mets fans.
Remembering Shea: thorough site from a die-hard.   Keeps up on the other blogs a little better than I do (darn “real job.”)
Subway Squawkers:  A Mets fan and a Yankees fan fight.  ‘Nuff said!
Phil Mushnick The granddaddy of complaining and calling people on the carpet.   Our hero.  Even was the first one to complain about black uniforms, well before the Mets had their own.
Neil Best  writes “Watchdog” for Newsday.  I find myself linking to him often and hopefully Cablevision won’t put Newsday.com behind a 50 foot wall known as subscription.
NY Post Mets Blog  it gets confusing sometimes because google lists the Post’s site as mets blog (not to be confused with the Mets Blog mentioned above) but there’s good stuff in here all the time.
LoHud Yankees Blog – probably the “Mets Blog” of Yankeedom.
Scott Proctor’s Arm .   Another Yankees blog…but another blog that posts obstructed views, so I dig it.
Again, apologies in advance.  I probably left someone out.  If you’d like to be included next time hit me up at [email protected]

www.metspolice.com
@metspolice

New York Mets ESPN Ultimate Franchise Ranking: We’re #82!

Your introduction to the Ultimate Franchise Ranking only teases the story from ESPN Magazine, so all I have is by way of the Post which says the Mets are:

#82 of 122 overall – because of high prices.   The Angels are #1 and the Clippers #122, the Knicks #121.
#52 for stadium experience.  (How is New Yankee better?)
#112 for affordability.
#100 for bang for the buck.

Wow, you add all that up and it sounds like the Mets should hire some long time fan to help them with the overall ballpark atmosphere and general fan friendliness.  Where would they ever find such a person?

Follow us on twitter @metspolice
Email whatever to [email protected] (including job offers to consult to your major league baseball organization)
www.metspolice.com


Post: New York Yankees Plummet Thanks To Stadium

Since I am the king of Told Ya So….told ya so.

From the Post.   I want to do the Yankees stuff while I enjoy Sterling on my sunny deck, then we’ll get to the Mets stuff next posting.

Sure, the new crib has double-wide concourses that circle the park. Yeah, the seats have as many as 10 inches more legroom, and the 101-foot-wide scoreboard is seven times larger than its predecessor. Plus there’s a Hard Rock Cafe and cupholders and family bathrooms. So what’s missing? A certain je ne sais quoi.”

Full article in The Post.

Survey here on espn.

You know how people talk about how they never should have torn down old Penn Station….this is the 21st century equivalent.  As we say in Queens, “Nice head.”

www.metspolice.com
@metspolice

"Branca’s Bullpen" New York Mets Pre-Game Show?

Over the weekend I finally finished the book “The Echoing Green” which is about the New York Giants (you know the team with the NY that played in the Polo Grounds, won 10 pennants but nobody mentions) and in the book they referenced “Branca’s Bullpen?”

Anyone know anything?

The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca … – Google Books Result

by Joshua Prager – 2008 – Sports & Recreation – 498 pages
Branca had in winter left TV station WOR, let lapse both his job with Cosell and Branca’s Bullpen, a Met pregame show he had hosted in 1963. 


Faith & Fear mentioned it too…

Faith and Fear in Flushing :: The Summer Wind

In 1963, Ralph Branca hosted “Branca’s Bullpen” which went on prior to the pre-game Kiner’s Korner. In 1964, Branca’s show was replaced by “Dow 

Which brings me to two additional points:

1.  Have something for Ralph Kiner at Citi Field while he’s still around.
2.  SNY should show some old Kiner’s Korners.   I mean OLD.  I wanna see some 60’s/70’s if any exist.

www.metspolice.com
@metspolice