NEW YORK, NY — Along with Jeff Kent who was elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee this past December, there will be a total of three induction speeches occurring on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center located in Cooperstown, New York, this coming July.
It was not a surprise that former Mets center fielder Carlos Beltrán was named as the newest inductee (along with his fellow center fielder, Andruw Jones) to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY last Tuesday. Beltrán finished with 70% of the vote in 2025, which was just below the requisite 75% threshold. He appeared on 84% of the ballots submitted by Baseball Writers’ Association of America voters this time.
Beltrán would have been elected in 2022, his first year of eligibility, had it not been for his involvement with the Houston Astros 2017 World Series sign-stealing scandal. Unlike gambling on baseball, or a player taking performance enhancing drugs, sign-stealing has been a debatable baseball sin. It has been occurring as long as games have been played. The BBWAA properly treated his “crime” as a misdemeanor, rather than a serious felony.
It can be argued that as good a baseball player as Beltrán was for the Mets, he was not properly appreciated by the Flushing fans. The leading reason is he had the misfortune of being at the plate as the Mets’ last hope in Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. Cards’ ace Adam Wainwright threw a wicked curveball to strike him out which ended the Mets’ World Series dreams that year.
There were other reasons as well. Beltrán was a member of the 2007 and 2008 Mets. Both of those Mets teams collapsed in September and therefore failed to qualify for the playoffs. If that were not bad enough, the Mets ownership family at the time, the Wilpons, were investors with Madoff Securities, when that scandal hit. That led to massive Mets payroll slashing. Beltrán was traded to the San Francisco Giants in late July 2011 for pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.
Image Credit: MLB
Carlos Beltrán was always a straight shooter with the media. I remember being in the Mets clubhouse when catcher Ramón Castro learned he had been traded to the Chicago White Sox. To say Castro was distraught would be an understatement. Beltrán asked me why he was upset. When I told him Castro did not want to leave the Mets, he replied, “Doesn’t he know we are nothing more than furniture which can be moved at any time?”
It was that no-nonsense attitude which led the Mets to hire Beltrán as their manager for the 2020 season. The witch hunt hysteria caused by the just-discovered Astros sign-stealing issue forced the Wilpons to ask Beltrán for his resignation, and he complied.
Luis Rojas was named to replace Beltrán as the Mets manager. He would be fired after the 2021 season. I believe the Mets’ fortunes would have been better had Beltrán been the Mets manager.
Beltrán is currently a Mets executive.
Mets acquire Freddy Peralta in trade with Brewers
Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns landed his man Wednesday night, when they acquired Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, who won the 2024 National League LatinoMVP Starting Pitcher of the Year Award. The price was steep as the Mets parted with a pair of highly rated prospects, pitcher Brandon Sproat, and infielder/outfielder Jett Williams. The Brewers also threw in pitcher Tobias Myers.
Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
It should be noted that Peralta will be a free agent after this season. Stearns must feel confident he will be able to sign Peralta long-term, given both team owner Steve Cohen’s wealth, and the fact he knows Peralta from his lengthy tenure as the Brewers general manager.
White Sox and Mets make deal, sending Luis Robert Jr. to Queens
The Mets accomplished two goals the previous day when they traded Luisangel Acuña to the White Sox for centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. The Mets desperately needed a center fielder, and they had a huge surplus of infielders on their roster.
This is a low stakes deal for the Mets. Robert, who had an MVP-type season in 2023, had pedestrian seasons in both 2024 and 2025. Injuries played a huge part in his offensive decline, but there was a feeling in the South Side of the Windy City that Robert was a flash in the pan.
Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
Even at his worst, Robert still hit 15 home runs; could still steal bases and was a Gold Glove winner. It is hard to fault David Stearns for believing that he will benefit from a change of scenery.
History has been kind to the Mets when they have obtained center fielders from the White Sox as evidenced by Tommie Agee, Lance Johnson, and Daryl Boston. That trio, while not Cooperstown material, were solid contributors to Queens’s team.
Yankees re-sign Cody Bellinger to five-year/$162.5 million contract
Yankees vice president and general manager Brian Cashman should have sent a fruit basket to Stearns for obtaining Luis Robert Jr. It was not a coincidence Cody Bellinger re-signed with the Yankees within hours of the announcement of the Robert Jr. trade.
Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Bellinger’s agent, Scott Boras, realized all leverage was lost once the Mets had found their centerfielder for 2026.
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino hits the 900-win mark
St. John’s University Men’s Basketball head coach Rick Pitino became the fourth man to ever to hit the 900-win mark on Saturday when SJU beat Xavier in Cincinnati on Saturday, 88-83. As fate would have it, he accomplished that milestone at the expense of his son, Richard Pitino, who is the head coach of Xavier.
Bad Bunny and Green Day set to perform in Super Bowl LX Festivities
The NFL is going all out with respect to entertainment when it comes to Super Bowl LX. It was announced that Bad Bunny will be the halftime performer.
Image Credit: Apple Music/NFL
Last week, it was revealed that Green Day would perform before the game.
Michele Tafoya announces she will be running as a Republican for Minnesota’s US Senate seat
Longtime network NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya announced she will be running as a Republican for Minnesota’s United States Senate seat. She is not the only boldfaced name entering politics. Former Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira is running for a US House seat in Texas also as a Republican.
Broadcaster Tim Capstraw calls his 2,000th consecutive Nets game
I recently wrote about Brooklyn Nets radio voice Chris Carrino winning the National Sports Media Association’s New York Sportscaster of the Year Award. Carrino’s analyst partner, Tim Capstraw, also had a reason to celebrate. He has proven to be the Cal Ripken of sports broadcasting as he called his 2,000th consecutive Nets game last week.
Image Credit: NBA
Tim Capstraw reminds me of Kenan Thompson’s unfailingly optimistic “Willie” character on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” The Nets can be down by 30 points with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, and Tim will get excited if a Nets player hits a jump shot. There is no such thing as a meaningless basket in garbage time to him. In an ever-cynical world, Capstraw’s unbridled optimism is refreshing.
Remembering and Paying Tribute to John Brodie
John Brodie, who played his entire career for the San Francisco 49ers, was one of the best NFL quarterbacks in the 1960s and early 1970s. It was surprising his death last week did not get more attention. Brodie took part in several PGA Tour events and could have had a successful professional golf career. He was also blessed with movie star looks. John Brodie was 90 years old.
The New York Travel & Adventure Show at the Javits Center
Baseball was a topic at last weekend’s New York Travel & Adventure Show held at Javits Center. Destination Dutchess County officials were promoting the Yankees’ minor league affiliate, the Hudson Valley Renegades, while the Reading PA folks were touting the renovations at First Energy Stadium which is the home of the Philadelphia Phillies AA affiliate. A representative for the Curaçao Tourism Board was thrilled Andruw Jones will be the first baseball player from the Caribbean nation to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Spring training is imminent, and the Grapefruit League is crucial to Florida’s economy. Mike Hogan, the communications director for Polk County, located in the heart of central Florida along the Interstate 4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando, touted his area as the ideal place for baseball fans to visit.
“The Detroit Tigers will be marking their 90th season for using Lakeland as their spring training home. It is far less expensive for Yankees fans to buy tickets to watch their team play the Tigers in Lakeland, or take on the Blue Jays in Dunedin, which is also located in Polk County. If Yankees fans want to go to Steinbrenner Field, it is about an hour trip from Lakeland. It is also about two-and-one half hours for Mets fans to drive to Port St. Lucie. Our hotel rates are much cheaper than either Tampa or Port St. Lucie,” Hogan told me Saturday at Javits Center.
Songwriters Hall of Fame: Class of 2026
The pride of Jackson Heights, Chaim Witz, along with his colleague and friend from Kew Gardens, Stanley Eisen, better known to the entertainment world as Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley from KISS, will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this June.
Image Credit: Songwriters Hall of Fame
Joining them will be Alanis Morrisette, Kenny Loggins, and the fiancée of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce whose name escapes me.
Beloved comedian Floyd Vivino passes away at the age of 74
We lost a local television legend last Friday with the passing of Floyd Vivino, who most people knew simply as Uncle Floyd. Vivino was the successor to Soupy Sales as he hosted a nominal kids show on a now-defunct UHF station from Totowa, NJ, Channel 68. While he was an expert puppeteer, and had a troupe of costumed characters, Floyd’s humor was more often targeted at adults than adolescents. You had to listen carefully not to miss the double entendres.
There was an underground hipness to the “Uncle Floyd Show.” Emerging musical performers like Bon Jovi, Elvis Costello, the Talking Heads, and those celebrated punk rockers from Forest Hills, the Ramones appeared on the show. Even David Bowie, who was established at the time, was a guest because he was a huge fan of Floyd’s.
With his trademark pork pie hat and plaid jacket, Uncle Floyd was a modern-day vaudevillian who could expertly play the piano just as well as he could fire off one-liners in a manner which would envy Henny Youngman.
Rest in peace, Mr. Vivino. You made many people happy.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
