centerfield maz

Richard Pierce Havens was born on January 21, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York, the eldest of nine children. He began singing doo-wop on the street corners of Bed- Sty. Havens left home & made his way to Greenwich Village in the early sixties, where the Folk scene was in full bloom. At first he painted portraits of people on the streets & then began to play guitar in the Village clubs. He crossed paths with local resident Bob Dylan who remembered "One singer I crossed paths with a lot, Richie Havens, always had a nice-looking girl with him who passed the hat and I noticed that he always did well". After two albums on a small label, Bob Dylan's manager Albert Groosman signed on with Havens. His rhythmic acoustic guitar playing & gravelly voice gave him a unique sound. Havens also had dentures & at times sung with no teeth which added to his distinct vocal sound. In 1966 he released his classic album "Mixed Bag", which was the adopted name, leg...

Jason Renyt Tyner was born on April 23, 1977 in Bedford, Texas. The six foot one, left hand hitting outfielder was named Beaumont Texas’ Student Athlete of the Year. Tyner was not only a jock but was a member of the National Honor Society in both his junior & senior years. He then attended Texas A&M where he set all time school records in hits &stolen bases. He finished second all time in the schools history, in batting average & at bats. Tyner set those marks in only three years of play. I n 1998 he was the New York Mets number one draft choice, the twenty first pick overall. Tyner rose quickly through the Mets minors, arriving at A ball St. Lucie in 1998 where he hit .303 in just 50 games. In 1999 at AA Binghamton he hit .313 and stole 49 bases getting pushed up to AAA Norfolk by the end of the season. In 2000 playing in 84 games with the Tides, he batted .321 & stole 33 bases. Although he showed no power not hitting any HRs all year. He was call...

Vito Henry “Vic” Voltaggio was born on March 17, 1941 in Vineland, New Jersey.  Voltaggio is a distant relative of the legendary song writer Steven Foster, who is  famous for penning such tunes as; "Oh! Susanna", "Camptown Races", "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair”, &"Old Folks at Home" ("Swanee River"). Vic Voltaggio is a former U.S. Marine, that served for eighteen months in the Vietnam War before going off to umpire school. He got to the A ball level in 1973, moving up to AA in the Carolina league in 1975 & to the AAA International League by 1976. The following year he got the call up to the American League & began a twenty year run as a successful umpire. Over the years he would call three no hitters behind the plate, including Nolan Ryan’s in Texas. In 1986 he was the home plate umpire for Roger Clemmens’ record breaking twenty strike out game. Voltaggio is famous for pulling his right arm back & going down ...

AP photo It was another great night of classic Rock at Madison Square Garden as Fleetwood Mac wowed 'em in New York City in another reunion tour. As Stevie Nicks said, when your a child singing, your mother tells you one day maybe you'll play Madison Square Garden & here we are! It is no secret that I am a diehard Stevie Nicks fan & that she is my favorite female rock singer. You can look back at many of my reviews archived on this site. In the past 16 years I have seen every concert tour Stevie has performed, solo or with Fleetwood Mac. This is an incredible woman / singer/ entertainer who has only gotten better in these years.  AP photo She is constantly working on her vocals to improve and it is noticeable to longtime fans. She carries notes longer & more powerful than ever, almost effortlessly.  She is in complete control on stage, looking comfortable & confidant, standing there like a rock goddess. She seems to be in great shape both phys...

Friday April 6th 1973: The Mets opened up 1973 just four years off their Amazing Championship 1969 season. The pitching staff was their strength & along with some new faces there was optimism. The Mets had traded away fireball pitcher Nolan Ryan who would go on to Hall of Fame success in California with the Angels. The Mets received Jim Fregosi who they thought was their new slugging third baseman. It didn't turn out that way, as Fregosi was gone by summer. Opening Day 1973 brought a crowd of 27, 326 to Shea Stadium, on a Friday afternoon April 6th to see the Mets host the Philadelphia Phillies. Two future Hall of Fame pitchers went against each other that day, as they did so many times in the early to mid seventies. The Mets sent Tom Seaver to the mound & Phil's manager Danny Ozark sent "Lefty" Steve Carlton to face the Mets. Carlton was coming off his incredible 1972 Cy Young season where he was 27-10 with 310 strike outs & a 1.97 ERA. That year th...