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Due to the strong debate about John Franco ‘s induction into the Mets Hall of Fame, I created a BBWAA-style vote for the Mets Hall of Fame. On last night’s radio program , I shared the results with Matt Cerrone of Metsblog. Here is how you voted: Mike Piazza 95.3% Ron Darling 70.6% Edgardo Alfonzo 66.4% Howard Johnson 59.7% Jesse Orosco 57.3% Al Leiter 46.0% David Cone 29.9% Sid Fernandez 23.7% Jon Matlack 23.2... Read Full Story

You need pitching depth to get through a 162-game schedule. I recently spoke to a big league pitching coach who told me it was important to leave camp with about 18 pitchers  that could realistically contribute at the big league level. Of those 18, you probably need 10 that could start a ballgame. Knowing how important depth is to making the playoffs, I wonder if the rumored deal of  A.J. Burnett  to Pittsburgh for salary relief is a situation where the Yankees have tired of his act and want... Read Full Story

I return to the airwaves after the Super Bowl hiatus to a content-packed show. Matt Cerrone of Metsblog joins me to discuss Sandy Alderson’s debut on Twitter, the NYBD Mets Hall of Fame results, and the Mets handling of the media. I will give you my thoughts on why trading A.J. Burnett just for salary relief isn’t a good idea. In the back-half, Ballpark Digest Minor League Announcer of the Year , Jay Burnham, discusses life broadcasting Minor League Baseball. Jay’s 2011 season... Read Full Story

We’re at the time of year now when the various media outlets and fan blogs start releasing their minor league top prospect lists for 2012. Baseball America is clearly the industry standard leader in this venture,  popping out their Top 100 lists  every year since 1990. (Their number one Number One? Braves left hander  Steve Avery ). Whether you subscribe to the professional prognosticators like  Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com ,  Keith Law of ESPN , or those of the  “voice of the fan” , who  put... Read Full Story

.bbpBox{background:url(http://a3.twimg.com/profile_background_images/146607075/busterback2.jpg) #131516;padding:20px;} Garrett Jones is, in fact, the guy NYY want in any Burnett deal with the Pirates,but PIT not interested in moving Jones. No traction so far. Thu Feb 09 23:19:30 via web Buster Olney Buster_ESPN The rumors of A.J. Burnett going to Pittsburgh are heating up. Buster Olney “tweeted” the Yankees want Garrett Jones in return; something that Pittsburgh appears unwilling to do... Read Full Story

I think the one aspect of Sandy Alderson that largely is lost on the public is his dry sense of humor. I have experienced it during conference calls and when he’s interacted with reporters at Citi Field. You saw that a bit with his “box of chocolates” comment when Jose Reyes signed with Miami. Yesterday, he caused a bit of a stir when he joined Twitter. This was his introduction to the social media platform: .bbpBox{background:url(http://a0.twimg.com/images/themes/theme1/bg.png) #C0DEED... Read Full Story

You know the story about the Mets and their inability to add much, if any, payroll. What once was supposed to be about $120 million dollar budget has slide all the way down to around $90 million. That’s why it came as no surprise that one of their rumored targets-  Rick Ankiel - signed as minor league deal to remain in Washington. This despite the fact the team was looking for a left handed bat off the bench. Joel Sherman of the NY Post also reported the Mets are all but done pursuing... Read Full Story

I thought of the relationship between the Mets and Yankees, after seeing the Jets full-page ad congratulating the Giants on their Super Bowl victory. Over at  Sports Media Watchdog , I wrote about how this is a smart move by Woody Johnson and company, as they need to amend for their season of trash talk. I also think it could be used by Rex Ryan as a motivational tool; a more positive one than false bravado and empty Super Bowl predictions. What about if this were the Mets congratulating... Read Full Story

This is a response to Mike Silva’s piece on Saturday   in which he raves about New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, and how if he helped the Giants win Super Bowl 46, could supplant Derek Jeter as New York’s sports darling and “catapult him to the top of New York sports.” This is not a hit piece on Elisha ,  either. I have the utmost respect for Manning, who has endured the typical criticism of an impatient (and terrible) New York fan base who demands a championship every season. And... Read Full Story

I called into the Dino Costa Show last night to discuss the situation about the Mets pulling Howard Megdal’s credential . Dino has done a great job expressing the same concerns I have about the lines being blurred between teams, leagues, and major media outlets. While working out in Denver, his credentials were pulled by the Nuggets because of an incident where Kenyon Martin verbally assaulted him in the locker room. The incident brought back memories of that situation, and he  addressed... Read Full Story