Carroll’s Column: First Half For Mets In The Books

Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports

NEW YORK, NY — With more than half of the MLB regular season in the rearview for the New York Mets, as 97 games have passed on with a record of 55-42, there are 65 contests to be played after the All-Star break… 

Things have not gone well for the Mets since they got swept at Citi Field by the Tampa Bay Rays in a mid-June three-game series. That was the beginning of a June swoon which would see them get swept by the Braves in Atlanta, and by the woeful Pirates in Pittsburgh. 

Losing three straight to the Pirates was embarrassing enough, but being outscored 30-4 was historically humiliating. That led to one of those infamous “players only” meetings which occur when there is no getting around how terrible things have gotten. The Mets proceeded to take two out of three from a good Milwaukee Brewers team, and even more importantly, did the same against the Yankees right after that. 

While the series win against the Bronx Bombers had to mollify Mets fans, it did not mask the fact that most of the pitchers who wore Mets uniforms for that series were faceless journeymen who would be perennial candidates for “designated for assignment” by every big-league team. 

The good news for the Mets was the fact the Philadelphia Phillies were struggling as badly as the Mets were. Both teams have made an art form of futility batting futility with runners in scoring position. When Phillies radio play-by-play voice Scott Franzke pointed out the Phillies had reached 0 for 26 in that category last week during their series with the Giants in San Francisco, his analyst partner, former Phillies shortstop Kevin Stocker immediately exclaimed, “That is inexcusable!” Stocker also pointed out the fifteen times Phillies batters struck out in those situations instead of at least making productive outs. Mets fans can empathize.   

Much has been made of Mets owner Steve Cohen’s willingness to spend on player payroll, but no amount of money can serve as insurance against injuries. The Mets have had to contend with their share.

Lefty reliever AJ Minter was lost early in the year with a season-ending injury for a torn lat muscle. Last year’s ace, Sean Manaea was sidelined until last weekend with an oblique strain, while Frankie Montas missed most of the first half of the season with a similar injury. Kodai Senga has been terrific for the Mets when he has been healthy enough to pitch. He missed most of 2024 with leg issues. He sustained another leg mishap last month, but he was able to pitch last Friday. The Mets’ recent slide coincided with Senga’s most recent injury.

The good news is all the Mets projected starters for 2025 as slated returned this  past weekend. The Mets beleaguered bullpen should be less taxed for the second half. Too many Mets contests have been labeled “bullpen games” because the team has not had a healthy starter. The results have been losses for our Flushing heroes. 

Juan Soto’s response to not being named a 2025 NL All-Star 

ESPN New York and YES Yankees voice Michael Kay criticized Juan Soto for saying he was leaving money on the table by not being named to participate in the 2025 All-Star Game. Soto, who is being paid around $47 million per year, has a bonus clause in his contract for All-Star Game appearances. Compared to his base salary, however, it is peanuts. 

When asked about the All-Star Game by a reporter, Soto gave his statement with a sheepish smile. He was clearly responding in jest. Michael Kay realized that as well, but he knew giving a tongue-lashing to Soto to get a reaction would be easy grist for his talk show, as well as for ESPN New York’s social media sites. 

Yankees DFA DJ LeMahieu 

It is never fun to see Father Time and injuries take a toll on an athlete, particularly a terrific hitter like DJ LeMahieu. The Yankees, to their credit, were quite patient with him, but it was clear LeMahieu had become more of a liability on the roster than an asset.

They had no choice but to release him and eat the remaining $22 million on his contract. 

Mike Brown named next head coach of Knicks 

The Knicks named veteran head coach Mike Brown to replace the deposed Tom Thibodeau last Tuesday. No one knows now, of course, as to whether firing Thibodeau was the correct decision, or if Brown is the right person to lead the Knicks to an NBA championship.

The Knicks’ decision to hold Brown’s introductory press conference at their Tarrytown practice facility instead of Madison Square Garden, does not inspire confidence. 

20 Years in the NBA for Kyle Lowry 

You must admire any professional athlete who can play his sport for twenty years. LeBron James will be entering his 23rd season and is still a very dominant NBA player. Philadelphia native Kyle Lowry may not have had the impact LeBron has had, but he will also be joining the twenty-year club come October. The Philadelphia 76ers re-signed him for the upcoming season.

James Jones becomes NBA executive VP of Baseball Operations 

The NBA named James Jones to be their executive vice-president of basketball operations. He had a fourteen-year playing career and netted three championship rings, primarily because he was a teammate and close friend of LeBron James. 

I had the pleasure of chatting with Jones in 2019. He told me he was a finance major at the University of Miami and wanted to have a career in business when his playing days had ended. “I was envious of my classmates who were able to land internships with Deutsche Bank and Merrill Lynch. I could never get them because I had to spend any time that I was not in class at basketball practices or games,” he told me. In a time when too many NBA players don’t even become college sophomores, the odds are there will not be any more players like James Jones. 

Big East Conference announces streaming deal with ESPN Plus

The Big East Conference, of which St. John’s University is a member, has signed a streaming deal for their basketball games to appear on ESPN Plus. Most of their games shown on linear television will remain with Fox Sports, however. 

Don La Greca named television play by play voice for New Jersey Devils

ESPN New York afternoon personality Don La Greca will be the television play-by-play voice for New Jersey Devils games on the MSG Network. There has not been a compelling Devils television play-by-play voice since South Ozone Park native Steve Cangialosi left MSG to be the lead voice of Major League Soccer telecasts for Apple TV Plus. Matt Loughlin does a terrific job calling Devils games on the Internet.

It is a shame the Devils do not invest in terrestrial radio to have their games broadcast. Sadly, the New York Islanders are following that shortsighted business model. 

“Stick” on Apple TV Plus

Speaking before of Apple TV Plus, one of its breakout shows is “Stick” which stars the likable Owen Wilson as Pryce “Stick” Cahill, a PGA Tour star whose career tanks after a meltdown on the twelfth hole of a major tournament. Cahill is forced to work odd jobs back home in Indiana, as well as give golf lessons to senior citizens to make ends meet. His down-and-out luck begins to change when he discovers a troubled golf prodigy at a driving range named Santi.

PGA stars Colin Morikawa and Trevor Immelman make cameo appearances, as does the voice of the Masters, Jim Nantz. 

Oklahoma City tourism feeling benefits of Thunder’s 2025 NBA Championship 

Oklahoma City tourism officials are hoping to capitalize on the attention the 2025 NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, have brought to their city. OKC has lush waterfront parks on the Oklahoma River, as well as upscale restaurants located adjacent to canals in the city’s Brickyard district. The Oklahoma City Museum of Art features glass works from 19th century artisan Dale Chiluly who was a rival to Louis Tiffany who had a studio in Corona. Flora fans will enjoy the Myriad Botanical Gardens. 

Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum recognizes 30th anniversary of Oklahoma City Bombing

On a more somber note, the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum is marking the 30th anniversary of the terrorist bombing by anarchists Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols of the Murrah Federal Building, which killed 168 people and injured 684. It was the largest terrorist incident in the United States until, of course, 9/11. 

Netflix set to release documentary on the late Ed Sullivan July 21st

On July 21, Netflix will release a documentary about the late Ed Sullivan titled “Sunday Best,” which is a tribute to his iconic Sunday evening variety show which ran on CBS from 1948 through 1971. While “The Ed Sullivan Show” is best known for the iconic appearances of Elvis Presley and the Beatles, it was also one of the few places where Black artists as Mahalia Jackson, Ethel Waters, Pearl Bailey, Nat King Cole, Jackie Wilson, the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, the Jackson Five, and countless others could appear on national television. 

While just trying to book the best talent that he could for his television audience, Sullivan was a champion of civil rights. He did not back down when advertisers threatened to leave him because he wanted his show to be integrated. In fact, his biggest sponsor in the 1950s and early 1960s, the Lincoln Automobile Company, did sever ties with his show. Interestingly, Sullivan received thousands of letters from those supporting segregation asking him to keep booking Black artists. They clearly enjoyed their talents from the privacy of their living rooms. 

NY Comedy Festival returns from November 7th through November 16th

The NY Comedy Festival returns from November 7 through November 16. Among the headliners will be Alex Edelman, Louis C.K., Margaret Cho, Pete Holmes, and Hannah Berner. Bill Maher, who used to be a regular at the festival with a show at the Theater at the Garden, is taking a break from standup this year.

For more information, log onto nycomedyfestival.com

You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.