[IMPORTANT: Make this 4 times longer with much more detail]
Sports Carroll’s Column: An Amazin’ Day at Citi Field by Lloyd Carroll January 27, 2025 What a day it was in Queens for Amazin’ Day – Image Credit: New York Mets NEW YORK, NY — What an Amazin’ Day it was this past Saturday in Flushing, Queens, as fans of the New York Mets were treated by the Mets’ hospitality staff, and ownership group with a full-day of exciting events. Last Saturday, the Mets held their first “Amazin’ Day” at Citi Field. This all-day event where fans can attend various panels about their favorite team; tour the facilities which are normally off-limits to them such as team clubhouses and batting cages; and collect autographs and take photos of their favorite current and former players/coaches. There had been a similar event five years ago when the Wilpons owned the Mets, but this was the first one since Steve Cohen became the owner. Steve Cohen and the Mets hit Amazin’ Day out of the park, treating Mets fans to a full-day of festivities at Citi Field – Image Credit: New York Mets Steve Cohen quickly became the focal point of Amazin’ Day when he, along with his president of baseball operations, David Stearns, were interviewed in the Piazza Club by Mets SNY play-by-play voice, and Flushing native Gary Cohen. Many in attendance were screaming “We want Pete!” (referring to free agent first baseman Pete Alonso) at the top of their lungs as Cohen was being introduced. To his credit, Gary Cohen did not shy away from the proverbial elephant in the room. When he asked the Mets CEO about the Alonso negotiations, Steve Cohen did not sugarcoat anything. He made it clear he was upset about the contractual stipulations Alonso’s agent, Scott Boras, was throwing back at him. Scott Boras, the mega-agent across MLB, representing Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman, Corbin Burnes, and many more stars – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports Interestingly, Boras’s monetary demands for his client did not appear to disturb Steve Cohen. Even though he has not spoken much recently about Metropolitan Park, which is his plan to develop the land surrounding Citi Field, Cohen wisely used Amazin’ Day to dedicate space on the ground floor of the ballpark to show off a miniature model of his vision. Among the highlights were a refurbished Willets Point subway station, a Hard Rock Casino, a concert venue which would seat 5,000; parking structures which could accommodate up to 13,000 cars, and of course, a park for the public to enjoy. Mike Piazza was asked if he was envious of the humongous contract Juan Soto received. “The game is always changing, and I’m very happy players are getting paid well.” He then imparted some wise advice. “My father always said, ‘Don’t look at another man’s pockets.’” Last month, Juan Soto signed a 15-year/$765 million deal with the Mets, which includes escalators that can make the overall value of the contract reach over $800 million – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports Former Mets manager Bobby Valentine met with the media. I asked him if he had been contacted by anyone in the Mets organization about the 25 th anniversary of the Mets-Yankees World Series or about getting inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. “The answer is ‘No!” to both of your questions, Lloyd,” he said with a hearty laugh. Valentine is still an icon in Japan where he managed in the Nippon Professional League. He said a great regret was the Mets not signing recent Hall of Fame inductee Ichiro Suzuki in 2002. “Some in the Mets organization then did not want a singles hitter in the outfield,” he said with understandable incredulity. He was also proud his former players, Masato Yoshii and Tsuyoshi Shinjo, are now managers in the NPL. The irrepressible Valentine was asked if the wild payroll spending the Dodgers were doing on free agents was bad for the sport. He said it was, and he predicted it would help precipitate the next baseball work stoppage. Bobby Valentine speaking during a panel during Mets Amazin’ Day – Image Credit: New York Mets I then asked Bobby if it was possible for the Dodgers to be profitable with all of that spending even if they won the World Series every year. “I don’t think they care!” he replied, and he was quite serious. More from Amazin’ Day at Citi Field Another former Mets manager, Terry Collins, spoke about how the game has changed where starters rarely make it into the sixth inning, and then relief pitchers go the rest of the way. I asked him why starting pitchers are getting hurt if they are throwing fewer innings. “They throw a lot harder now,” he answered. I countered, “Is it worth it if these young pitchers, like the Mets’ Christian Scott, are inevitably facing Tommy John surgery. Wouldn’t it be better to have pitchers who change speeds, and therefore are more likely to avoid the knife early in their careers?” Collins did not dispute my logic, but said no team is adopting that model. Catcher Francisco Álvarez has worked hard at learning English. He said he is a huge fan of the British period crime drama, “Peaky Binders,” starring Cillian Murphy which streams on Netflix. When I asked him if he enjoys the chilly New York winter weather, he quickly shook his head negatively. “I wish it were summer already!” he said with his trademark smile. Tyrone Taylor and Francisco Álvarez in a Q&A during Mets Amazin’ Day at Citi Field – Image Credit: New York Mets I asked third baseman Brett Baty, who struggled in Flushing last season and wound up spending most of 2024 playing for the Syracuse Mets, if his #1 goal would be to avoid seeing central New York State this year. “That is my second goal. My top goal is to win a World Series.” Reporters asked him about Juan Soto getting his old #22 uniform, and whether Soto offered him any assets in return as a token of appreciation. Baty was reluctant to admit what had been agreed upon between the two men. He gave a knowing laugh when I told him that kind of transaction is fully taxable. Brett Baty stops and takes a photo with a young Mets fan – Image Credit: New York Mets Knuckleball pitcher RA Dickey won the Cy Young Award when pitching for the Mets in 2012. He told me he now enjoys tending to his forty-acre farm just outside of Nashville. He is also on a Music City municipal advisory board whose mission is to land a team the next time Major League Baseball expands. NBC names Mike Tirico the lead play-by-play voice in Peacock/NBA partnership NBC Sports has named its main anchor, Whitestone native and Bayside High school alum, Mike Tirico to be its lead play-by-play voice when the Peacock Network starts televising NBA games under its new contract this fall. Nets honor Vince Carter, retire his No. 15 at Barclays Center The Brooklyn Nets did a terrific job Saturday night honoring Vince Carter by retiring his number 15 and hanging from the rafters of Barclays Center. The Nets retired Vince Carter’s No. 15 last Saturday at the Barclays Center – Image Credit: Brooklyn Nets They invited Carter’s basketball hero, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, former teammate Devin Harris, his Nets head coach Lawrence Frank, and former Nets PR director and public address announcer Gary Sussman who was famous for his “VC3!” call when he hit a three-point shot. It was a fun wordplay on the British 60s rock band, the Dave Clark Five, who were frequently referred to as the DC5. YES Network Nets television voice and Rego Park native Ian Eagle was the emcee. He nicely conveyed Vince Carter’s on-court accomplishments, and how he is respected for being a gentleman. He did so without being effusive or maudlin. That is a difficult balancing act. Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson make Knicks ASG history The Knicks have done something they have not done in 50 years; namely have two of their players be starters in the All-Star Game. Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns were voted for that honor by the fans, media, and their fellow NBA players. Dominican-American Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson are headed to the NBA All-Star Game – Image Credit: NBA Former Brooklyn Nets head coach, and the current Cleveland Cavaliers head coach, Kenny Atkinson will be managing the NBA Eastern Conference team. Carmen Diaz-Malvido receives Sweetwater Clifton City Spirit Award from Knicks Congratulations to Jackson Heights native and ASPIRA of New York CEO Carmen Diaz-Malvido for receiving the Sweetwater Clifton City Spirit Award from the Knicks, and the $10,000 prize which accompany it. ASPIRA mission is to aid Latino youth. She was honored during the Knicks’ annual Hispanic Heritage Night. Alexandra Phung set to compete in 12/13 year-old girls division at Augusta National Alexandra Phung from Forest Hills will be competing in the Drive, Chip and Putt Tournament in the 12 and 13-year-old girls’ division at Augusta National, the home of the Masters. The finals of this youth tournament will be shown on the Golf Channel on April 6. “The Cell” by Barry Beck out now Front cover of “The Cell,” by Barry Beck Image Credit: Amazon Former New York Rangers star Barry Beck has written his autobiography titled “The Cell” (Friesen Press). Beck is famous for New York Rangers radio color analyst Bill “Big Whistle” Chadwick imploring him to try to score goals when he is on the ice. “Shoot the puck, Barry!” was Chadwick’s familiar refrain. Sadly, the tone of the book is far from lighthearted. Beck discusses the murder of his son, Brock, and the suicide of his teammate, Mark Pavelich. These two events caused him to get into severe depression. Beck candidly writes about his lengthy battle to overcome his melancholia. Hapik opens at the American Dream Mall Will wall climbing become the “hot” exercise in 2025? Hapik, a national fitness club chain which specializes in rappelling, and manual forms of scaling heights, has opened at the entertainment and sports center, American Dream, located in East Rutherford, NJ across from MetLife Stadium. Habik’s fun climbing gym is now open at the American Dream Mall – Image Credit: Habik Its other local gym is in Brooklyn’s Industry City near the Brooklyn Nets training facility. Annual New York Travel & Adventure Show at the Javits Center This weekend’ s annual New York Travel & Adventure Show at Javits Center was a disappointment as there were more cheesy timeshare vendors than there were quality destination exhibitors. The few destination tourism bureaus who were there did not adequately promote sports tourism. For example, Dayton, OH is home to college basketball’s University of Dayton Flyers, and the annual NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament play-in game which kicks off March Madness. Yet, there was no promotion for them at the Dayton booth at Javits. On the local front, a representative for Dutchess Tourism was eager to promote the Yankees minor league affiliate, the Hudson Valley Renegades, who play in Fishkill. That was the rare exception. Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2025 The same week the National Baseball Hall of Fame named its new inductees (CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, and Ichiro Suzuki), the Songwriters Hall of Fame announced their Class of 2025 members. Among those being honored are longtime Beach Boys lead singer and composer Mike Love, funk master George Clinton, underrated 1960s British pop composer Tony Macaulay, and Doobie Brothers members Michael McDonald, Tom Johnston, and Patrick Simmons. The Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2025 – Image Credit: Relix Peter Frampton, who was finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, will be embarking on a spring tour of mid-sized venues this spring. There are currently no New York City shows planned. He will be performing on April 5 at the Hard Rock Casino Atlantic City, and at the State Theater in New Brunswick, NJ on April 7. Netflix hits a streaming milestone of 300,000,000 subscribers worldwide Netflix recently announced that it now has over three hundred million subscribers worldwide. With one of the most recognizable brand names in the world, it is now expanding into the restaurant world. On February 20, Netflix Bites Vegas will open in the MGM Grand. Netflix plans to expand into other cities. This reminds me of those ESPN All-Star Cafes which were popular for a few years and then disappeared. Given Netflix’s market share dominance, it is not surprising rival entertainment companies are forming alliances. Last week Warner Brothers Discovery’s Max streaming service said it will offer a bundle plan with the premium cable movie network, Starz, if you purchase it through Prime Video. You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle. Related Topics Amazin’ Day American Dream Mall Annual New York Travel & Adventure Show Barclays Center Barry Beck Bobby Valentine Brett Baty Brooklyn Nets Citi Field David Stearns Francisco Álvarez Hapik Javits Center Jim Duquette Juan Soto Major League Baseball Mets Mike Piazza MLB National Basketball Association NBA NBC Netflix Nets New York Mets Peacock Peaky Blinders Pete Alonso RA Dickey Scott Boras SNY Songwriters Hall of Fame Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Steve Cohen Terry Collins The Cell Vince Carter Click to comment Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. 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