Once…twice…three times a balking

AP Photo

In light of the Mets’ disappointing loss to the San Fran Giants last night, many  are pointing fingers at Pelfrey’s three balks being the reason for the loss after winning the first three games of the series (though the lack of runs certainly didn’t help). If you’re any other average baseball fan, you know exactly what I’m talking about and are probably shaking your head with me. But just in case you happen to be a casual fan and might think a balk is a sound an angry chicken makes, here’s a quick history lesson for you.

Get your own stuff!

I was all set to write my first post as a love letter to Josh Beckett’s fastball. (Look, if it was possible to make out with a pitch, I would do so with that one, happily, and without regard for leaving lipstick prints on the leather.) But then my cousin sent me a text message from her seats at Citi Field last week. “Maggie,’ she wrote. ‘They’re doing it again.’

The ‘it’ in question? Playing ‘Sweet Caroline’ in the eighth inning.

Today we’re gonna party like it’s 1999!

It was supposed to be a new year for us, new stadium, new pitching, new ridiculous salaries that only we could pay, but after this past weekends heart-wrenching sweep by the Sox, I think it’s time for a little throw-back action. Ten years ago- maybe it was chemistry, maybe it was fate, but it was full of hotties and full of wins! I bring you the hotties of yester-year and the team I still wish was drenched in pin-stripes! Your 1999 New York Yankees!

Paul O’Neill
Was it the gold chains, was it the appearance in one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes, was it his 19 homers, 110 RBIs or .285 batting average? We’ll never know!

Hot Stove Hotties plus NFL timeout

Each week this Hot Stove season, we’ll look at some done deals and juicy rumors involving our favorite MLB hotties, and the occasional not-really-a-hottie, but still worth talking about.

Before we get to the Hot Stove, let’s take a moment to appreciate the piece of history the NFL  world bore witness to yesterday. Click on the picture for a very short, very apt summary of the Lions’ season.

Click the pic and turn the volume up...

Baseball stuff after the thingie.

The Tailgate with Metsy: Empanadas

When TSW started the Friday Football Foodie, I immediately pounced on the idea of posting a how-to on how to make empanadas.  The fact that I did not know how to make empanadas was not important.  I’d solicit the help of one of my sisters-in-law (I have legion), and boom!  We have empanadas.

I never realized that it’d take me 13 months to actually get it done.  I’m a master procrastinator, what can I say?

Here’s all you need.  Simple as pie (why do people say this?  Making pies doesn’t look easy!).

Your 2008 Cure For A 1930s Depression

Baseball flourished during the Depression. It was cheap to play, it was fun at any skill level and it required no elaborate playing field or equipment.

As we gear up for the 2008 World Series, I get nostalgic for the idea of baseball as the great American pastime. But I started to think about all the people cutting back, trying to find ways to save money in this worsening present-day economy. So I started to wonder, what was baseball like during the Great Depression? And what does that say about us as a society?

The Highs and Lows of the Advertising Age

Vintage(and groundbreaking) hottie!

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported on their News Blog yesterday that the planned Ernie Davis statue at Syracuse University is suffering from an unfortunate case of anachronism:

The bronze sculpture, unveiled on the campus on Saturday, depicts Mr. Davis wearing Nike cleats and a jersey with a swoosh across his chest, the Associated Press reports. The problem? Mr. Davis hung up his cleats at Syracuse in 1961, years before the brand existed. The university said the mistakes were those of the sculptor, who also included a too-modern helmet.

Carlos Zambrano Throws A No-Hitter! WOOT!

I was born into a Cubs family, and have been a Cubs fan since I donned my first Jody Davis jersey at age 4. I have been through many ups and downs with my team, but one thing I have not watched them do (in addition to winning a World Series) is throw a no-hitter. My wait is over. Carlos Zambrano just threw a no-hitter — the first Cubbie no-hitter since Milt Pappas in 1972. Congrats to Big Z, and thank you for letting me witness it.

That's right -- no hitter.