NEW YORK — The New York Mets have become one of the most promoted teams in all of baseball when it comes to fan giveaways and celebrating a variety of vibrant cultures, ethnicities, and most recently, the borough of Queens.
Last Tuesday, the Mets held the first of their two-day “Celebration of Queens” promotion at Citi Field. Queens residents were offered discounted tickets; the team’s choreographic troupe, the Queens Dance Crew, performed some energetic numbers on top of the dugouts between innings; and they played punk rock classics from Forest Hills’ own, the Ramones.
Image Credit: New York Mets
Given that the Mets were on their way to losing their fourth consecutive game, and were making a Wild Card berth increasingly less likely, Forest Hills High School alum Paul Simon’s 1977 hit, “Slip Sliding Away,” would have been appropriate. Mets starter Paul Blackburn was giving fans heartburn as he gave up seven runs in four innings.
The Mets wore their regular uniforms Tuesday which are aesthetically more pleasing than their drab City Connect jerseys which feature the letters “NYC’ in large font. The Mets lost a golden marketing opportunity by ignoring the specific locale of Citi Field. Uniforms featuring “Queens,” or “The World’s Borough” would have had more sales appeal, even to those who do not reside here. The Chicago White Sox are the worst team in the majors, but they have the snazziest City Connect uniforms as the term “Southside” is emblazoned in script.
Kudos to Mets historian and vice-president of alumni affairs, Jay Horwitz, for arranging a moment of silence before the start of the game Tuesday for the late Mike Cubbage, who succumbed to cancer at the age of 74. Mike played one season for the Mets in 1981 but returned to Flushing a decade later to serve as a third base coach for six seasons, and even served as an interim manager for the Mets at the end of the 1991 campaign.
Mike Cubbage was a baseball lifer. He devoted 50 years to the game. Cubbie, who did everything for the Mets, died last Saturday at age 74 in his Charlottesville, VA home. https://t.co/dV72BYHP5O
— Jay Horwitz (@Jay_HorwitzPR) August 13, 2024
Mike Cubbage was with the Mets when I started covering the team on a steady basis. Even though I was young, and not from what the baseball establishment at the time considered a major media outlet, Mike was always accessible, and was a fountain of information. He was a graduate of the University of Virginia, and he could chat with you about a variety of subjects. He deserved the opportunity to manage a major league team.
Drew Smith unlikely to pitch in 2025
Mets reliever Drew Smith underwent outpatient elbow surgery in Arlington, TX last month. He returned to Citi Field with his right arm in a sling, and it is unlikely he will pitch in 2025. Making matters worse, Smith will be a free agent at the end of this season.
New York Mets reliever Drew Smith underwent elbow surgery in July, and is projected to miss all of 2025 – Image Credit: George Napolitano/ Latino Sports
I asked Smith if his union offers a disability policy in case injuries do occur in a “walk year.” “The union does not offer such a plan, but I bought a policy on my own. The problem is it only kicks in for career-ending injuries. The policy does not cover the loss of income for a missed season,” he informed me.
Mets fans make deal of Austin Adams mocking OMG
Some Mets fans and media made a big deal of Oakland A’s relief pitcher Austin Adams mocking the Mets’ 2024 theme song, “OMG,” when he struck out catcher Francisco Alvarez to snuff out a rally.
Austin Adams appeared to mimic the OMG Mets celebration after striking out Francisco Alvarez to get out of a jam in the 5th pic.twitter.com/zzH3pOezJN
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 14, 2024
The person who was not offended in the least was Mets infielder Jose Iglesias, who created the song, and has a big hit with it. That was more free publicity. Iglesias told me he was thrilled with the reception he got at Rye Playland the previous day in which he performed “OMG.” For New Yorkers of a certain age, it was a reminder of the time pop stars would perform their hits over the summer at amusement parks all over the country such as Palisades Park.
The Oakland A’s? The Sacramento A’s? The Las Vegas A’s?
I joked with A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson that his Oakland Athletics sweatshirt would become a collector’s item with the team moving for three years to Sacramento, starting in 2025, before their Las Vegas stadium is completed. “Everything will be a collector’s item, and we are all aware of it,” he replied. I then told him I would not be surprised if A’s penurious owner, John Fisher, takes an inventory of all clothing assets at the end of the season. “That’s a good one!” Emerson laughed with a knowing chuckle.
New York native and Mets outfielder Jesse Winker
Jesse Winker was acquired by the Mets prior to MLB’s Trade Deadline – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
Mets outfielder Jesse Winker, who was obtained at the end of July from the Washington Nationals, grew up in Buffalo. I asked him if he has flown friends and family to Citi Field on JetBlue which makes its headquarters in Long Island City. The Buffalo-JFK route has been a JetBlue staple for nearly 25 years. “Absolutely! JetBlue should be giving me VIP privileges!” he said with a laugh.
Changes at WCBS-AM
The changeover of formats coming Monday at WCBS-AM has understandably received a ton of press, and deservedly, all of it has been unfavorable. Audacy, the corporate owner of WCBS, is leasing the frequency to Good Karma Brands which runs ESPN New York. Instead of creating its own programming, it is merely acting as a landlord overseer.
As a condition of the deal, the radio station will drop its legendary call letters, and be rebranded as WHSQ. It will be interesting to see whether Howie Rose, Keith Raad, and Pat McCarthy flub the call letters for the first week. I would not be surprised to see the revival of an old school postgame show which takes phone calls from callers in 2025 the way WFAN did when they were the Mets’ flagship station. Ed Coleman did a wonderful job acting as a therapist for depressed/angry fans after many a Mets game.
Image Credit: Getty
While these things are nice, I will still miss getting traffic reports on the 8s, Craig Allen’s reliable weather forecasts, and a place where you can get news on electronic media which did not have an agenda.
Beloved MSG Network play-by-play voice Sam Rosen plans to retire after 2024-2025 NHL season
The 2024-25 NHL season will be Sam Rosen's last as the Rangers' play-by-play announcer, per the @nypost
"It’s been a wonderful ride. I loved sports growing up. I played sports growing up and to be involved in sports the way I have been has been just the thrill of a lifetime.” pic.twitter.com/roFPsGMwiK
— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) August 13, 2024
Speaking before of the New York Rangers, beloved MSG Network play-by-play voice Sam Rosen will be retiring at the end of the 2024-2025 season. Rosen also does select NFL games for FOX Sports. I remember first hearing Sam Rosen’s voice when he was a news anchor on WNEW-AM.
James Blake set to be honored on August 25th
Former tennis star, and huge Mets fan, James Blake will be honored August 22 by the philanthropy AKTIV Against Cancer, which was started by the late multiple-time NYC Marathon winner Greta Waitz. Blake’s eponymous private foundation has provided over $1,000,000 for cancer research to Memorial Sloan Kettering.
“The Money Game” available on Prime Video September 10th
Image Credit: Prime Video
Prime Video will be debuting a six-part documentary series on September 10th. “The Money Game,” about how student-athletes’ ability to finally be compensated for their name, image, and likeness, has upended the world of college sports, much to the consternation of the NCAA.
“Jackpot!” out now on Prime Video
On a lighter note, Prime Video has just released a comedic action film, “Jackpot!” starring WWE star John Cena, and Forest Hills’ own Nora Lum, better known professionally as Awkwafina.
Impact from 2024 Summer Olympics
The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association is hoping the Olympic gold medal wins of track stars Julien Alfred of St. Lucia, and Thea LaFond of Dominica, will lead to great sports tourism and more international track & field competitions in the region.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
