Monday Night Linkage

I'll admit, the Yankees can often be one "F'd" up organization in their way of thinking. For as long as they've existed (or roughly since 1920, when The Babe showed up), their reputation has been that of a white collar, upper-crust clientele. Problem is, they seem to forget that deep down they have this very normal, average-guy fan base.

That includes me.

Yet they clearly don't get it. Back to them in a moment, because it gives me another chance the rip the oh-it's-just-too-easy-sometimes New York Mets.

So here's the thing. Citi Field seems to be the one place more troubled than the "new" Stadium. Among the many complaints: rampant graffiti by one of their four or five true "legends" (that would be Seaver, Doc, Darryl, and maybe Piazza).

Seems Doc Gooden was asked to sign a wall in a restaurant at the new place. The hilarity begins! Take it away Deadspin and the New York Daily News!

"One of the guys that worked there asked me to sign one of the walls, so I did it. It wasn't like I was walking around with a sharpie in my pocket," Gooden told the Daily News on Monday. "They asked me to sign the wall as a favor, as something for the fans to see. I was in there watching batting practice and they had fans taking pictures with me by my signature and I thought it was a fun idea."

Said the Mets:

"It's a brand new building, whether it's Doc or any other player, it wasn't meant to write all over the walls," public relations director Jay Horwitz said. "We are going to do things to celebrate our history, but this wasn't the right way to get that started. If we allow this precedent, people will be writing all over the stadium."

So I get it - this is not inside the Monster at Fenway, but still - can't they allow one friggin' scribble from one of the hallmark faces in team history? Dear God!

UPDATE: Occasionally teams listen to their fans. All is now well (thanks, Deadspin).

While on the subject of idiocy, Manny Acta (used to be with the Mets) is still the manager of the Washington Nationals. For now. "Bad Boy" (I hate that term) Elijah Dukes was five minutes late because he was appearing at a community outreach center (granted, not sponsored by the Nationals). Whatever. Acta benches and fines Dukes!

The House...my House...is apparently available for picnics, parties, weddings, and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. From New Stadium Insider:

In something of a nice gesture by the Yankees, the team allowed the construction company who built the new Stadium, and is tearing down the old one, to have a corporate cookout in the sacred cathedral of sports this past Thursday, Opening Day 2009.

I'm OK with this.


The radio home of the Hudson Valley Renegades has changed formats (Thanks, Ken McMillan). I wouldn't expect them to be adding "The Press Box", but considering I have worked there on many occasions, is it too much to ask them to help a brotha out?

Multiple websites have picked up this commercial of The Current Captain, El Tigre, and Mr. Federer bringing out their inner-groove-thang.


Back to the Yankees and how they just don't get it. Like picking on the Mets, screaming about Randy Levine is just too easy. Why he's the mouthpiece for the ultimate sports franchise is beyond me. Every time he opens his mouth, he and the Yankees look bad. He decides to offer his $.02 about the Stadium's net problem with TV cameras.

PeteAbe (who gave us the last bit on Levine) offers a fair assessment of the Stadium. This is why I like him.

The new Stadium has legitimate problems, like, say, 20 home runs in four games (plus a few more during the exhibition games). They also have to get past the "class" system and come back to reality. Monument Park is sacred; that has to be fixed. But for a high-profile cathedral of sports, it is great. It's not my old Stadium, but it's my new Stadium. I've said that before. There are things that have to be fixed and pretty quickly, but it's now the Stadium where I will go to.

And I'll be there tomorrow night. So there.

It's. About. Time. (Thanks, Tom Hoffarth) The great Scully should have his story told, and I'm saddened that he feels his life shouldn't be out there. I hope that Curt Smith tells his tale in a fair way. You can bet the ranch that I will read it.

With any luck, Curt Smith will also be on "The Press Box." I will be looking into that.

Smith, by the way, wrote Voices of the Game, still the definitive tome on baseball broadcasting. I hung on literally every word and own it in its hardcover and softcover editions.