As the weather warms, and folks look to Memorial Day weekend, there is
one group of people who hope to busy that weekend – too busy for
barbeques, the beach and relaxing. They want to be playing baseball.
For those whose team qualified for post-season, this week is what they
have been waiting for since last May.
In the Patriot League, Bucknell, who eliminated Army last week,
defeated Navy to capture the Patriot League title, and a spot in the
NCAA Tournament.
When Brett Favre called it quits a couple of months ago, it was as if a
national hero had passed away. The talking heads on the myriad ESPN
networks debated his legacy and wondered how the state of Wisconsin,
and, indeed, the NFL, would survive without its fun-lovin’
kid-playing-in-an-adult’s-body gunslinger. Yesterday, Mike Piazza retired to far less fanfare. Granted, Piazza is
not one of the ten best baseball players of all-time, nor was he ever
as popular as other superstars of his generation like Ken Griffey Jr.
and Derek Jeter.
If you were walking near the North Meadow of Central Park this past
weekend, you'd have thought you were in a time warp. Umpires
monitoring home plate in black top hats, black tuxedo suits and purple
vests?
They hollered “Warning on the striker! Warning on the hurler!” during
the first balls and strikes of each at bat. Runners passing home
requested to the tally keeper, “tally me, ma’am,” who responded “a fine
tally, sir.” Fielders scattered throughout the diamond in baggy
uniforms with embroidered bibs, cloth hats and red string ties. They
fielded balls at ease with their bare hands. This was 19th century
baseball at its best, and the third annual Gotham Cup.
Hank Steinbrenner is at it again. After a loss dropped the last place
Yankees to 20-22, Steinbrenner did something that would have been
laughable just two months ago—he demanded the Yankees to be more like
the Tampa Bay Rays.
Gotham’s first team is in to the Division I World Series, and a team
Gotham slated to be playing in the post-season is going home after this
week in college baseball. But before we get to all of the week's college news and notes, let's see who won this week's "Beast of the Week" presented by Mattingly Baseball.
No, it's not the 1986 New York Mets. Rather, it's the 1864 New York
Gothams, who will live once more this weekend to battle for the Third
Annual Gotham Cup Vintage Base Ball Tournament at Central Park. Sponsored by Gotham Baseball Magazine, The Dive Bar, Budweiser and
Dewars, The Gotham Cup is played by old time "Base Ball" rules, with
teams and officials wearing uniforms from the 19th Century. This year,
10 teams from all over the Northeast, including Rhode Island,
Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey will meet in Central Park's North
Meadow to compete in the Tournament.
Well, on SportsNet New York, he will be. "Playing for Peanuts", the TV
series produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker John
Fitzgerald, profiles the former Mets' second baseman's longtime fight
to get back to the big leagues. The much-anticipated series will
premiere on Sunday May 11.
When Brett Favre called it quits a couple of months ago, it was as if a
national hero had passed away. The talking heads on the myriad ESPN
networks debated his legacy and wondered how the state of Wisconsin,
and, indeed, the NFL, would survive without its fun-lovin’
kid-playing-in-an-adult’s-body gunslinger. Yesterday, Mike Piazza retired to far less fanfare. Granted, Piazza is
not one of the ten best baseball players of all-time, nor was he ever
as popular as other superstars of his generation like Ken Griffey Jr.
and Derek Jeter.
If you were walking near the North Meadow of Central Park this past
weekend, you'd have thought you were in a time warp. Umpires
monitoring home plate in black top hats, black tuxedo suits and purple
vests? 
Hank Steinbrenner is at it again. After a loss dropped the last place
Yankees to 20-22, Steinbrenner did something that would have been
laughable just two months ago—he demanded the Yankees to be more like
the Tampa Bay Rays.
No, it's not the 1986 New York Mets. Rather, it's 
Well, on SportsNet New York, he will be. "Playing for Peanuts", the TV
series produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker John
Fitzgerald, profiles the former Mets' second baseman's longtime fight
to get back to the big leagues. The much-anticipated series will
premiere on Sunday May 11.
