We still like Ike

My dear wife Karen noticed the words on one of the TVs over the bottles at our neighborhood sports bar Chadwick’s first. Mets Trade Ike Davis to Pirates, the Friday happy hour sports news show revealed. “Oh, no,” Karen said, pointing to the volume-muted flat screen. We were sad. We liked Ike Davis. Big bat…

Does a major league player deserve paternity leave?

Daniel Murphy missed the first two games of the New York Mets baseball season. He took paternity leave because his wife delivered their first child early on opening day. He gets three days off to share in the joyful family milestone. It’s written into the agreement between management and the players union. And yet there’s…

So close

Almost. We’re one day from April, and the snow here in our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood is waving its last bye-bye, what with a high of 57 forecast for tomorrow. At least I hope its one final wave. You never know around here. A common comment: Remember the year we woke up to inches…

Spring training makes me feel warm

Click, click, click, stop. Sigh. They are playing baseball in Florida. A weekday surf through the sports channels leads me happily to a spring training game for my New York Mets, against the Houston Astros. The Mets are leading 4-0. It’s the fourth inning, and many of the players have names that may become household…

Get your Seahawks, Syracuse, Sox, Yanks, Mets stuff now

I know good marketing when I see it. My Favorite Sports Store had a quick thinker out front on Monday morning. The T-shirt, jersey, collectable and more emporium in the Syracuse, N.Y., mega shopping, entertainment and dining complex Destiny USA had a full table of boxes out front. To the left sat Seattle Seahawks stuff,…

Mets sweep the Yankees, said for the first time

Seconds after the final strike in the bottom of the ninth last night at Yankee Stadium, in came the text from my great friend and pinstripes fan Kingpin. “You may now gloat.” Put it in the history books. The Mets have swept the season series from the Yankees for the first time. Ever. It may…

Is April 30 too early to give up on the Mets?

It’s a long season. So true, for so many things. But today I come to talk about baseball. Tomorrow it’s May. One month will be in the books for baseball fans everywhere. I root for the Mets. Let’s Go Mets has been echoing through my brain since I started appreciating the thrill of victory and…