NIAGARA FALLS, NY – Happy Monday! I can’t believe July is almost over. Time almost has no meaning anymore. Like, it’s not as though life is mundane, but life is so, so busy. I can’t even remember what I wore two days ago, so I am not sure if I am repeating the same dress shirt anymore. Anyway, let’s get to the business that you clicked this link for… Here’s today’s menu: Mets Update, Baseball Hall of Fame and WNBA All-Star Game.
Mets Update
It is getting tough to follow Jake Sternberg on Monday. He is great at covering the Mets and makes great points. All I can add is the Mets lost on Sunday. There are still two games over .500. They have one more game with the Marlins before taking on the Yankees in the Subway Series. The Series might have more bite this time, with the Yankees in the #4 seed in the AL and the Mets in the #6 (and final) spot in the NL. Now, we have months of baseball to play before the seeds matter but the Yanks have been falling down while the Mets got hot and claimed the 6 seed – and have been holding on to it. The second half of the season just got started and the trading deadline will be a big deal soon, so how the Mets go between now and the fast=approaching deadline will be critical but I think they will be buyers.
Baseball Hall of Fame
Last week, we talked about draft picks – guys just starting the baseball career. Today it’s about the Hall Of Fame and 4 guys that aref ending their incredible baseball journey in the greatest destination a player could hope for. I do feel old, seeing guys I vividly remember playing getting inducted. For me, it was some guys at the end of their career, but when you know you watched all of a guy’s career, it is crazy. Here are the four: Jim Leyland, Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer.
Jim Leyland: I will always remember as Pittsburgh Pirates coach, like when the Pirates were good and had Andy Van Slyke in Center. It is weird lasting memory of guy who moved on to manage other teams and win titles. I think it is just tied to my childhood.
Adrian Beltre: He had an incredible career but my memory of him was playing lights out in the final year of a contract, getting the big free agent contract and then stinking it up the next year. I mean he played better the remainder of the contract but it was one of the funniest things to me.
Todd Helton: I remember him being a guy that literally made you pay attention to the Rockies. I didn’t know in his bio that has a QB at Tennessee, after Heath Shuler and before Peyton Manning. Apparently he got 2 starts then became backup and decided to focus on baseball, which he was good at. Helton would play his whole career with the Rockies and help people come to watch and enjoy the Rockies brand of big bat baseball
Joe Mauer: The forth and final guy. Mauer has Helton beat because not only was Mauer a one team guy like Helton, he was Minnesota born and raised. A hometown hero, Mauer played his whole 15-year career with the Twins, through the good and bad times. In his speech Mauer got a bit teary eyed recounting how he lost both his granddads and his dad in the past few years but that they were alive to watch him play all 1100+ homes games of his career. He said that was the best part of his career.
WNBA All-Star Game
This game between Team USA and the WNBA All-Star Team, felt like a Possibles vs Probables game. A PvP game is what happens when an international team decides we will have the 1st and some of the 2nd team guys take on the remaining 2nd team and 3 choice guys. The first choice guys are usually safe but the seconds and thirds show out to force a move into the discussion of who makes the final cut. Well let me tell you, team WNBA let it be known, they didn’t appreciate not making Team USA. Team USA is now under big time glaring light. This is not because people don’t think they will win gold but are they taking the right people to win gold and if they don’t for some unknown reason win gold, the fans will lose their minds. Team WNBA’s Arike Ogunbowale, won the game MVP with 34 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. What I remember is Ogunbowale, said in an interview, to make Team USA, you have to deal with meeting up with the team for video review sessions and camp invites. At some point, she withdrew her name for consideration because it became apparent that she wasn’t fitting into the team chemistry or how the coaches wanted to play. However, after a scoreless, first half, she told everyone in the USA Org to hold this MVP performance in your chest and think about why I aint on the team. Rookie sensations Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese didn’t disappoint as Clark led all players in assists with 10 and Reese did likewise with her 11 rebounds.
Thanks for reading and come tomorrow to hear from the Ben Whitney, who will tell you how the Yankees will beat the Mets.
