Gotta go to Mo's: How Squawker Jon and I spent a Sunday afternoon

Happy 41st birthday, Mariano Rivera. In honor of the big day, here's a Mo-related post -- about how Squawker Jon and I went to Mo's New York Grill, Mariano Rivera's restaurant, in New Rochelle last Sunday.

I have been wanting to go to Mo's for years now, so when I saw a deal at TownHog for the meal, I figured now was the time. Jon and I went there for a late lunch on Sunday. It only took about 18 miles from picking up Squawker Jon to reach the restaurant. We listened to the Jet game on the radio, and watched the second half of the Jets game there -- the restaurant has plenty of big screen TVs where you can get a terrific view from any seat in the house.

At some point in the Jets-Texans game -- I think it was when the Jets were ahead 20-3 -- Jon pronounced the game over for the Jets. So much for that -- they had to come back at the very end in order to win!

Anyhow, back to the really important stuff -- the food. We each had the filet mignon and split au gratin potatoes. The food was very delicious and well worth the trip. One of the cool things about Mo's is that it has steakhouse items, as well as a variety of other foods -- and a variety of other price ranges. The steaks are reasonably priced, but you can also get a sandwich or a burger for under $10. The menu also has seafood items. We also saw the dessert tray, but passed on getting anything, although they all looked good.

The service was also very good. A young man named Dijon filled our water glasses and answered our questions about the restaurant. He was a pleasure to talk to -- enthusiastic, passionate about his place of employment, and very well-spoken. He pointed out and explained the picture above; it was one of the coolest things we saw.

After we ate, we walked around Mo's New York Grill, looking at all the pictures on the wall. It's not just all Mo -- I spotted lots of individual pictures of Yankees, past and present. There are even more pictures in the Championship Room, a separate room in the restaurant, but since there was a wedding reception going on at the time, I had to sneak a peek at the photos there.

One of my favorite pictures in the whole place was this one at left. Yes, that's Texas Rangers co-owner Nolan Ryan back in the day, giving Robin Ventura a  beatdown. The picture is autographed by Ryan himself (although Ventura didn't sign it!) and it says, Don't mess with Texas or Mo's! How cool is that!

Anyhow, if you're thinking of going to Mo's, definitely check it out. It was a cozy way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

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Shocker! The Yankees beat the Rangers after being down, 5-0

There are nights where even when the Yankees are down, I can feel the sense of a comeback in the air. Game 1 of the ALCS was not one of those nights, and I was truly shocked by the outcome.

When the Rangers went ahead 3-0 in the first before making their first out, I wasn't exactly in a hopeful mood. As my friend Steve Lombardi wrote on his WasWatching blog, it looked like CC Sabathia went trick-or-treating as A.J. Burnett! I can't ever remember seeing Sabathia look as inept.

After the Yanks fell behind 5-0 in the fourth, CC was out of the game, and Joba Chamberlain and Dustin Moseley were acting as mop-up men. Combine that with the Yankees' hitters' inability to get anything going against C.J. Wilson, and I figured the Yankees were going to lose. I kept on watching, but I was peeved!

Little did I know that not only would those two relievers shut down the Rangers' bats, but that Ron Washington was going to remove Wilson after just 104 pitches in the eighth inning. Yes, he did let two runners get on base, with Brett Gardner's gutty, gritty play, and Derek Jeter's RBI double, but he was still the best option. The second-best option would be to bring in closer Neftali Perez in that spot, with the heart of the Yankee order coming up.

But Washington instead decided to do this whole revolving reliever bit, using the Darrens (Oliver and O'Day) and a whole other slew of arms in the eighth. I was half-expecting to see the Darrens from "Bewitched" to pitch as well!

A-Rod silenced the "he's not clutch" critics for one night, at least, with his big hit. And after Robinson Cano drove in the tying run, and Marcus Thames got a hit to put the Yankees ahead for good, there was the thing that was symbolic of the night: the Nolan Ryan Face (photo courtesy of Sliding Into Home). Nolan really had the whole Angry Dad face going on, didn't he? Classic!

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Texas Justice? Rangers finally win a playoff series

I didn't root for either the Rangers or Rays to win their series -- was worried about bad karma, like when I rooted for the Yankees to face the Tigers in the 2006 playoffs. But I have to admit, now that it's over, that I am happy for the Texas baseball fans, who are used to humiliation, not domination, in the playoffs! I lived in Texas for over a decade, and I have friends who root for the Rangers. So I was happy for them. I'm going to write a piece for The Faster Times today talking more about what this series win means for the Rangers, Nolan Ryan, and Texas as a whole.

Anyhow, we've seen the beginning of a new era in Texas, and the end of an era in Tampa Bay. Expect the Rays to be taken apart next year. It's a Florida tradition!

Given that this will be the end of the Rays as we know them, what is up with the Tampa Bay fans who fled Tropicana Field from the seventh inning or so on? A Red Sox fan and I were talking about this on Facebook. I sat through Games 6 and 7 of the 2004 ALCS in person, and my friend suffered through the Sox losing to Cleveland in the 1998 ALDS, as well as two Boston losses in New York. But that's what fans are supposed to do. As he put it, "part of being a fan is sucking it up." He then called Tampa Bay fans "the Los Angeles fans of the East Coast." I agree!

On another note, I woke up yesterday morning to find out that my desktop computer wouldn't turn on. I had a computer technician take a look at it. He said two things could be wrong: the power supply, or the motherboard.

After swapping out the power supply, the technician told me the bad news, that my computer's motherboard was fried, which meant I needed to buy a new computer, an expense I wasn't prepared for! Yikes!

Fortunately, the computer technician was able to save my old data from my hard drive for me, and he charged me a very reasonable rate. If you live on Staten Island, and ever need your computer repaired or fixed for viruses, please go see Computer Doctor of Staten Island. They even make house calls!

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The return of Nolan Ryan

It was great to see the 1969 Mets reunite at Citi Field. But consistent with the odd way the Mets deal with their history, the most memorable part was the appearance of Nolan Ryan in a Met uniform for the first time since one of the most disastrous trades in baseball history.

Ryan was still only 24 when he was traded to the Angels in the winter of 1971 for Jim Fregosi, who lasted barely a year and a half with the Mets. But even if Fregosi had made any sort of contribution, it would have been nothing compared to the Hall of Fame career that Ryan would go on to achieve.

Imagine if the Mets had two homegrown Hall of Famers who enjoyed the bulk of their success in a Met uniform instead of just Tom Seaver - and at the same time.

Jerry Koosman outpitched Seaver in the 1969 World Series and meant so much to that title team that perhaps he should have his number retired as well. It did not seem fair that he was introduced before Ryan, who was not even a rotation regular that year.

But the return of Ryan after all these years was the big story, and for once, the Mets acknowledged an important part of their history, even if it is a very painful one.

Omar Minaya was probably thinking, hey, at least I did not make the Ryan trade.

At least Koosman got his due when he, Seaver and Ryan all threw out the first pitch.

Then the ceremony came to an end and glorious memories were put aside in favor of the miserable present.

There were a lot of Phillie fans there last night, making it seem like a Subway Series game, only one in which one team was already out of contention. At least in our section in the promenade, the Phillie fans were friendly.

I enjoyed overhearing the following conversation:

Phillie Fan 1: If you had to let one of them go, which would you choose - Chase Utley or the Phillie Phanatic?

Phillie Fan 2: Wow, that's a tough one. I guess I would have to say Utley. The Phanatic's a Hall of Famer!

It must be great to be fans of such a good team that you can afford to jettison a perennial All-Star like Utley for a furry green mascot.

Perhaps Utley sensed this debate was taking place, since he soon homered to put the Phillies ahead to stay.

As we were leaving the ballpark, I saw a fan wearing a Michael Vick Eagles jersey. That was fast.

In three days, there have been two memorable returns - Ryan and Billy Wagner. Sunday, it's Pedro Martinez. All three have mixed legacies as Mets. But the first two just gave us two of the most memorable moments of the season. How will Pedro fare? How will he be received by the crowd?

It's psychodrama week at Citi Field!