Category Archives: The Soap Box
CEB and KNBSB should review their regulations
Yes you are reading it well. The European Confederation of Baseball (CEB) and the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation (KNBSB) should review their regulations.
Why? Well, let me explain.
The International Skating Union (ISU) tried to prohibit speed skaters to participate in a lucrative speed skating event in Dubai (yes it sounds strange: Speed skating in de desert).
The ISU threatened that whoever would participate in this event, would face a livelong ban.
A few Dutch speed skaters that wanted to participate, put this issue on the agenda of the ISU. A year later, the European Commission started an investigation after the abuse of power of the ISU.
The European Commission is worried about the sanctions that the ISU is imposing on athletes. These sanctions are not created to maintain higher standards in the sport of speed skating but the main purpose is to keep a grip on speedskating.
More.
Vin Scully Wants Gil Hodges in the Hall of Fame
The immortal Vin Scully has been the voice of the Dodgers for more than six decades. He has seen their best days, and worst, but more importantly he was there for their days in Brooklyn.
Though he had many favorites on the team notably called the Boys of Summer, he is still miffed by the fact that Gil Hodges is not a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. What is even more unfortunate is those who played with the first baseman are slowly leaving us and his chances of ever becoming a member are fading.
The Night Johan Santana Threw the First No-Hitter in Mets History
The game is on, windows are open, and the fresh cool air was blowing off of Lake Ostego and into our small little room. Howie Rose’s voice filled the air and nervousness finally set in. The eighth inning had just begun and I was trying not to get too excited. You can’t help but wonder how you will react, how you plan on celebrating, how this could be one of the best nights of your life as a Mets fan. Three outs are made and the Mets are up to bat.
I turned on my Twitter app and started to read all of my fellow Mets fans’ tweets. The excitement was more than building, it was exploding! I love the fan loyalty, there really is no better fan base than ours. Point blank, no question, I dare you to challenge me. The feed wouldn’t stop refreshing but it didn’t matter – it was all Johan.
Howie comes back on the air and you never wanted a Mets inning to end so quickly. I was literally just hoping for three outs – I wanted the top of the ninth to start as soon as possible. The only thing I really remember at this moment was the cheering for Johan as he walked up to bat. They were even louder after he finally struck out and went back to the dugout. Andres Torres quickly made the third out and our dreams were to come true three outs later.
Ray Knight Wanted to Stay with the Mets
Ray Knight is known to have wanted a two year deal after the 1986 season, and the Mets were only offering one. One of the most beloved players to wear the orange and blue, and the 1986 World Series MVP never wanted to leave New York, but 11th hour negotiations never worked out – and who know what could have been.
Knight would only play two more years in the major leagues, and though his numbers did not reflect his contributions while playing for the Mets, different environments create different results.
It’s crazy to hear Knight talk with Howie Rose about how he wanted to be part of the Mets again, most likely ending his career in Queens, yet in the 11th hour nothing could be done. He told his agent to accept the Mets offer and let’s get back to baseball, but the call never came and Ray would end up playing ball in Baltimore come 1987.
Keith Hernandez Says 1986 Mets Best Ever in Franchise History
This weekend the New York Mets are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 1986 World Championship team by having a reunion tomorrow night, as well as great fan giveaways tonight and Sunday night.
Part of the celebration included a re-broadcast of the infamous game 6 last night on WOR 710, which included great interviews with past players, including Keith Hernandez.
One of the best quotes form Keith during the interview spoke a lot to his character as a ballplayer, and how he truly does respect the game:
We never realized or felt going in that (if) we won 108 games, that we were destined to win the thing, we had to go out and win it.
ATTN: Daniel Murphy No Longer Plays for the New York Mets
Daniel Murphy agreed to a three-year deal worth $37.5 million on Christmas Eve 2015 with the Washington Nationals. He was introduced as their new second baseman on January 7th, 2016 and his tenure with the New York Mets was officially over. In fact, the last time Daniel Murphy wore a Mets jersey was November 1st, 2015, so you could say it was over then.
It’s time to let it go. No more Murph. No more #ImWith28. No more errors at second base.
I will admit that when the season started, I followed everything he did. Home runs, RBI’s, .400+ Batting Average – and errors. I wanted to say the Mets made a mistake by letting him walk, but that new guy they got, what’s his name, Neil Walker? Yeah, he never allowed me to talk smack about the move.
ELB games of Amsterdam Baseball postponed
A sudden move by the CEB forced the managment of the Euro League Baseball to postpone the upcoming games between Amsterdam Baseball and Draci Brno.
It looks like the CEB does everything that is in her power to prevent the ELB from succeeding.
The Euro League Baseball League games between Amsterdam Baseball and Draci Brno which were scheduled on May 15 and May 16 are postponed until further notice. This is what the management of the Euro League Baseball announced this morning through a press release.
More: https://dutchbaseballhangout.wordpress.com/2016/05/10/elb-games-amsterdam-baseball-postponed/
California League days of Mavericks seem to be numbered
Yesterday it became clear that the city of Kinston in North Carolina has signed a stadium lease deal with the Texas Rangers to bring a A Advanced team to historic Grainger Stadium, former home of the Kinston Indians. According to the lease, signed in July 2015, the Rangers had two years until the start of the 2017 season to bring a team to the stadium.
Historic Grainger Stadium in Kinston NC (photo: Zach Frailey)
More on: http://yankeebiscuitfansdutchblog.mlblogs.com/2016/05/05/mavericks-california-league-days-seem-to-be-numbered/
Howie Rose Believes Syndergaard is Close to Dr. K Status
Howie Rose, New York Mets radio broadcaster, was asked if he believed the hype surrounding Noah Syndergaard and if he was as electric as Dwight Gooden. Here is what he had to say:
We got there in 2013 with Harvey. That was the closest thing we’d seen to Doc. It was not only what we saw on the field, it’s the electricity that he produced not only in the stands, but in the city. What Syndergaard is doing now is just about there. I think the hype is just about for Noah where it was for Matt 3 years ago, and hopefully he has a little more linear path to success without the interruption that so many of these kids seem to have.
Anthony Scaramucci Talks About Purchasing the Mike Piazza 9/11 Jersey
Anthony Scaramucci, Tony Lauto, Jim McCann of 1-800-Flowers and an anonymous female business partner agreed to pay $365,000 for the jersey worn by Mike Piazza on the night of September 21st, 2001. It is one of, if not the greatest home run ever to be hit in the city of New York, and one of the greatest moment in sports history.
When asked about why he wanted to take the jersey off the market and keep it in New York, Scaramucci had the following to say:
The jersey represent getting knocked down, stepping into the batter’s box and hitting home runs again, which all of us have to do no matter what unspeakable acts happen in our lives. It’s a great representation of what the Mets are about.
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