NEW YORK, NY — For the first time in franchise history since Philadelphia’s five-year run from 2007-2011 of consecutively winning the National League East division, the Phillies are once again back-to-back NL East champs (2024 and 2025).
The Phillies’ clinching of the NL East last Monday was a sports story which received surprisingly little coverage here in New York. Granted, the focus of Mets fans and the media have been on the National League wildcard race. Yes, the Phillies are an excellent team, but the fact they were able to win the division title a full two weeks before the end of the season is an indictment of the 2025 Mets season.
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Obviously, the most important thing for any Major League Baseball team is to get into the playoffs. Yes, the Mets finished second to the Phillies in the NL East in 2024 but then proceeded to oust them in the National League Division Series that October.
Nevertheless, the path for postseason success, or even just getting there, is more fraught when you are not a division champion. The Mets would have been eliminated by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round of the 2024 playoffs were it not for Pete Alonso’s dramatic ninth inning home run heroics.
Going into the final week of the 2025 regular season, the Mets held narrow leads over the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, and the Arizona Diamondbacks in the baseball version of musical chairs, the third and last NL Wild Card berth.
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Wild Card races, like politics, make strange bedfellows. The Mets and their fans were forced to root for the Phillies this past weekend because they were playing a three-game series with the Diamondbacks.
2025 has not been a good year for Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns who admitted last week his July deadline trades have been busts. Of the three relievers he acquired, only Tyler Rogers has lived up to expectations. Gregory Soto and Ryan Helsley have been busts. Centerfielder Cedric Mullins, who was a longtime star with the Orioles, has struggled in Flushing.
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While Stearns was throwing snake eyes at the trade deadline craps table, his counterpart 100 miles south of Queens, Phillies president Dave Dombrowski, was rolling sevens and elevens. Dombrowski was able to acquire one of the best closers in the game, Jhoan Durán, and centerfielder Harrison Bader from the Twins, without having to surrender the Phillies best minor league prospects. In addition, he was able to coax veteran reliever David Robertson to come out of retirement, and recently signed playoff-tested starter Walker Buehler to sign after the Red Sox released him.
All have been key reasons why the Phillies wrapped up the NL East crown as early as they did.
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Dave Dombrowski has always been affable and approachable. He avoids cliches and is never arrogant. That leads to good relationships with other team executives, players, and their agents. It is not just baseball acumen, of which he has plenty, that creates sustained success.
José Iglesias returns to Citi Field as Mets host Padres
The most popular player at Citi Field last week was San Diego Padres infielder José Iglesias. Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos called him the Mets MVP of 2024. Iglesias always gave the Mets a spark whether it be with a clutch hit or his hit record, “OMG,” which always pumped up fans and his teammates.
José told me he misses Queens and broke into a grin when I told him in Spanish that the magic chemistry of last year has disappeared in 2025 without his presence.
Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
I get why David Stearns did not re-sign him for this season as the Mets had a glut of young infielders such as Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, and Luisangel Acuña, not to mention Jett Williams who is waiting in the wings on their Syracuse minor league team. What I do not understand is why Stearns signed utility infielder Nick Madrigal as a free agent this past January. My guess is neither did José Iglesias.
If Madrigal’s name does not ring a bell, that is because he fractured his left shoulder during an early spring training game which ended his 2025 season. It has been that kind of year for David Stearns who inexplicably had no interest in re-signing Harrison Bader because he was infatuated with Tampa Bay Rays centerfielder José Siri, who did not play much this year because he hit a foul ball which fractured his left tibia.
New Documentary on Roberto Clemente out now in select theaters
A new documentary playing which just opened in select theaters around the country, simply called “Clemente,” is an outstanding biography of the late Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame outfielder and humanitarian who could hit for average and power, and possessed a cannon of an arm (learn more here at ClementeFilm.com).
Image Credit: ClementeFilm.com
I was unaware that the Brooklyn Dodgers drafted Clemente, but they could not maintain him on their roster because their lineup had been set with stars for years. Former Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey signed him to the Pirates as soon as he became their general manager.
While it was not easy for Clemente to play in Pittsburgh because very few people spoke Spanish there when he was starting his career, he loved the Steel City fans and established lasting friendships with many of them.
Image Credit: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
He was proud of his Puerto Rican heritage and was angry at the Topps Company for making baseball cards which had him as “Bob Clemente” instead of his given name of Roberto.
New Reads: “Make Me Commissioner” by Jane Leavy and “The New Baseball Bible” by Dan Schlossberg
Jane Leavy, who wrote the definitive biography of Sandy Koufax, has a new book out titled “Make Me Commissioner” (Grand Central Publishing). The title is a bit misleading as it is more a treatise of what Leavy does not like in today’s game than an application to replace Rob Manfred.
Image Credit: Grand Central Publishing
Among the baseball issues rightfully triggering her ire, are the disappearance of the bunt and productive outs; baseball teams wanting pitchers to only think about blazing velocity with a control and pitch movement being afterthoughts; the proliferation of abbreviated statistics which border on the minutiae; and the alarming decrease in day games, especially Saturday matinees so that more families can come to the games. Leavy also thinks every MLB team should institute affordable student tickets as a way of getting today’s generation of kids to be as connected to the national pastime as their forebears were.
Leavy’s most controversial take is that pitchers should not be suspended for using sticky substances on baseballs such as Spider Tack but rather be encouraged to use them because it helps give them better control, so they don’t injure batters with their wildness.
Veteran baseball author and raconteur Dan Schlossberg has released his latest edition of “The New Baseball Bible” (Sports Publishing). Yes, Dan discusses the game’s greatest players and rivalries, but he also gives umpires and executives their proper due.
Image Credit: Sports Publishing
He also covers the many superstitions in the game as well as a generous helping of anecdotal stories which distinguishes this from being a tedious records and facts book.
Remembering and Paying Tribute to Ed Giacomin
Baby boomer New York sports fans were saddened to learn of the passing of longtime New York Rangers goaltender Ed Giacomin. The Rangers never won a Stanley Cup during his tenure with the Blueshirts but that was because the Montreal Canadiens were a powerhouse when he was guarding the nets for New York. News of Giacomin’s passing is especially poignant as it comes just as the Rangers are about to start their centennial season. The team is planning many theme nights around their 100th birthday.
New York Liberty eliminated in First Round of 2025 WNBA Playoffs by Phoenix Mercury
The New York Liberty will not be repeating as WNBA champions as they lost their first-round playoff series to the Phoenix Mercury. The Liberty won the first game of the best-of-three series but then dropped the next two.
Image Credit: WNBA
It was that kind of year for the Liberty who won their first nine games of the 2025 season before going into a funk because of injuries at one time or another to their three stars: Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu.
Hollywood Mourns Passing of Robert Redford
The late Robert Redford was the classic larger-than-life movie star. Two of his roles where he played athletes, a skier in “Downhill Racer,” and a baseball player in “The Natural,” helped cement that image.
Redford was also a talented director. His 1994 film, “Quiz Show,” based on the 1950s television games show scandals. Contestants were informed of the questions ahead of time and were told to either answer them correctly or incorrectly to build excitement and ratings.
Image Credit: IMDb
“Quiz Show” had a pair of Forest Hills connections. The late Herb Stempel (played by John Turturro), who was the nebbish foil to debonair Charles Van Doren (portrayed by Ralph Fiennes), lived in the neighborhood for years. Actor Hank Azaria, who played producer Albert Freedman who rightfully believed the rigging of the competition between the two contestants would lead to bigger profits, grew up in Forest Hills.
Watch “The Paper” on Peacock and NBC
One of the more talked-about shows of the new television series’ is “The Paper” from the showrunners who created “The Office.” It debuted at the beginning of September on Comcast’s streaming service, Peacock, and will soon be seen as well on the company’s broadcast network, NBC. “The Paper” had a screening and presentation last Thursday at New York City’s prestigious Paley Museum.
As was the case with “The Office,” “The Paper” is told in the form of a mock documentary. The setting shifts from a Scranton, Pennsylvania paper products plant to a Toledo, Ohio newspaper, the Toledo Truth Teller.
Image Credit: Peacock/NBC
The producers of “The Paper” have their hearts in the right place. While the financial decline of daily newspapers has been well-documented, the reality is that it is hurting American democracy. The show’s protagonist, an idealistic managing editor named Nate (played by Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson), represents that inarguable viewpoint.
The major problem is that Nate’s writing staff is a collection of characters who know little about journalism, and do not appear to be inspired by their boss. Let’s hope the show’s writers make them understand the importance of proper reporting. There are plenty of laughs to be had in a newsroom which takes journalism seriously.
McDonald’s Reintroduces Extra Value Meal Deals
McDonald’s executives, clearly worried about the effect inflation is having on their customers, has reintroduced Extra Value Meal Deals which go for $8 in most locations. The options include a Big Mac, Quarter-Pounder, or McCrispy Chicken sandwich, fries, and a soft drink. I wish McDonald’s would include their Filet-o-Fish sandwich in that deal.
Zesty Z and Brooklyn Delhi at 2025 Summer Fancy Foods Show
The 2025 Summer Fancy Foods Show is a great opportunity for food brands to get attention. Two good ones at the show come from Brooklyn. Zesty Z Perfect Pita Chips (zestyz.com) are a better alternative to potato chips as they have more fiber and 25% less carbohydrates.
Image Credit: Specialty Food Association
If you want tasty and nutritious meals quickly, try Brooklyn Delhi’s “heat and eat” vegetable masala options. For more info, log onto brooklyndelhi.com.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
