centerfield maz

May 1, 1984: In just his third start, rookie Dwight Gooden is starting to get some attention. Tonight at Shea Stadium he becomes the 1st teenager since Bert Blyleven in 1970 to strike out 10 batters. Gooden K's 10 Cubs through 7 innings pitched while only giving up one run on 4 hits in the Mets 8-1 romp over Chicago. Gooden bests his record to 2-1 with a 2.64 ERA. Keith Hernandez & Hubie Brooks lead the charge with 2 hits & 2 RBIs apiece. Hernandez also hit his second HR of the season. Daryl Strawberry drove in a run and got 3 hits. Rusty Staub boosts his pinch hitting average up to .455 with an RBI single. The win puts the Mets in first place a full game over the Cubs & Phillies with a 13-8 record. The Mets who have been down the past few years are becoming a force to contend with in the NL East in 1984. The Magic is back.

April 29, 1969: Imagine having the luxury of a pitching staff like this! Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan combine to pitch a six hit shut out against the expansion Expos at a cold Parc Jarry in Montreal, to a tiny crowd of 8,577. Koosman started the game against veteran Mud Cat Grant (former ace of the AL Champion Twins of 1965). The Mets weren't amazing yet, 6 1/2 games back of the Chicago Cubs in third place. Koosman was rolling along on a two hitter into the 5th inning and then his arm felt s ore. (A big concern at the time, but all would be ok.) Nolan Ryan got the quick call to get ready in the bullpen. Ryan came out and showed greatness, he allowed only 4 scattered hits the rest of the way, striking out seven Expos, including 2 in the 9th inning and not walking any body. As for the Mets offense, in the second inning Ed Kranepool blasted a home run off Grant for the 1st run. Then in the top of the sixth inning after Cleon Jones got thrown out stealing, Kranepool hits anot...

At last there is a new Ballpark for my team and a place I can call home for 21 games of my season ticket plan partnership. Having been to 24 ballparks in my travels, I have seen some of the best that baseball has to offer. On the historic Opening Day at Citi Field for the NY Mets & the City of New York, I am proud to say that this is one of the best stadiums in baseball. Citi Field is beautiful from the outside to the entrance ways, to the seats, landings, clubs and great food. This is a first class Stadium, and was a long time coming. EXTERIOR: The brown brickwork that makes up the outside of the S tadium is magnificent. A fantastic piece of architecture like something out of the past with all the modernism's of the future. It looks even better at night under its lights. The arches around the front resemble the old Ebbets Field and the Roman Coliseum. The main front entrance is surrounded by beautiful flower arrangements and a long wide concourse here"the Fan Walk" ...

In 1976 as a kid who lived, slept & ate baseball you had to love Mark Fidrych. He burst onto the scene with his long curly hair, talking to himself & the baseball, crouching down on the mound to rake the dirt with his hands, aiming the ball like dart before he threw it, and throwing other balls back to the umpire to have them removed because he felt they had hits in them. He was only 19 years old and was nicknamed “The Bird” because he looked like Sesame Street’s Big Bird character. Besides the antics he was the best pitcher in the American League that year as well. He went 19-9 leading the league with a 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games, in 250 innings pitched with 4 shut outs. He won the AL Rookie of the Year Award and started the 1976 Bicentennial All Star game in Philadelphia. Fidrych was a non roster invitee to Spring Training in 1976, and got called up to fill a spot on the staff in May. He won his 1st outing 2-1, pitching 7 no hit innings aga inst Cleveland, then went on to...

April 10th marks the official day the Beatles broke up back in 1970. Although tensions within the band had been going on for more than a year nothing of an official break up had been announced. Ringo & George had both left the group for a few days as far back as 1968. John was already doing alot of solo work; he had released the singles "Give Peace A Chance" & "Cold Turkey", and performed live in Toronto with Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman, & Alan White. In Johns opinion he felt they could have solo projects and come back every couple of years to record an album as the Beatles. There was alot of drama leading up to that fateful day. Without a manger, and their own Apple Corps. in shambles they needed some one to manage all their money. Paul wanted his father in laws laws firm, The Eastman's & the remaining three Beatles were set on Allen Klein. The Beatles also wanted Paul to hold off releasing his 1st solo album until the Beatles released "Let...

On Saturday Night the "Change Begins Within" benefit concert was held at Radio City to raise funds to teach Transcendental Meditation to 1 million children worldwide. The shows main attraction were the headlining performances of Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr. The two have performed together a handful of times since the Beatles breakup, the last time was in 2002 at "the Concert For George". They each played their own sets, then took the stage together sharing the same microphone to sing "With A Little Help From My Friends". They were then joined by an All Star band to perform "Cosmically Conscious" & "I Saw Her Standing There" with Paul on guitar & Ringo on drums. Other performers on the night were Sheryl Crow, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Donovan, Mike Love of the Beach Boys, Ben Harper, Jerry Seinfeld, Moby and Betty Lavette, & Angelo Badalamenti. Howard Stern & others made speechs on behalf of TM. Here is a review fro...

On April 8th, 1975 Aerosmith released their 3rd album Toys In The Attic . It was recorded at New York's Record Plant in January & February 1975 and was produced by Jack Douglas. It became their biggest selling US album, going gold in its year of release and has since reached 8 times platinum. The cover art shows a a cartoon drawing of a chestful of old toys with a brown border background. The classic Aerosmith logo is seen in orange letters for the first time on an album. The album put Aerosmith on the map with a hard rockin, dirty, sexual, heavy metal blues sound that is still their trademark 36 years later. This is the first of three great classic albums the band would put out in a row. This is my 2nd favorite Aerosmith album (2nd to 1976s Rocks) but a must to have in your collection. Toys: The title track opens the album, it is an Aerosmith classic and is considered by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a song that helped shaped rock music. The song refers to the term whic...