Mets: No hits, no runs, no offensive upgrades

This blog's logo has changed to "Subway Squawkers - A Whole New Ballgame" to reflect the the fact that we will be writing about other topics in addition to baseball. For the record, this change was in the works before the Mets were no-hit by a 27-year-old rookie who had allowed five earned runs in three of his previous four starts. (Our thanks to Cindy Regan, who created the original logo and updated it.)

After the game, Gary Apple noted that the last time the Mets were no-hit at home—by Pittsburgh's Bob Moose in 1969—the Mets went on to win the World Series. To that, I respond that the last time the Mets were no-hit anywhere—by Houston's Darryl Kile in 1993—they went on to lose 103 games.

The Mets aren't losing 103 games this year, but they aren't winning the World Series either, not with this lineup and this front office. Even if the Mets were willing to spend money, it's far from clear that legitimate offensive upgrades are readily available.

Even if the Mets can't hit, a great rotation can keep them competitive. But Noah Syndergaard's ERA is now 4.15, which means that four of the Mets' six starters now have ERAs over 4. The other two starters—Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom—can't pitch every day, and even if they could, we've already seen Harvey give up no runs in two straight starts and have nothing to show for it.

The ninth inning of a no-hit bid isn't as dramatic when the Mets are sending up Anthony Recker (hitting .149), Danny Muno (hitting .100 after he struck out) and Curtis Granderson (batting leadoff by default). With Recker reaching on a HBP, Ruben Tejada was able to bat as well. The fact that Tejada, who couldn't hit enough to play shortstop, has spent a lot of time at third base this season says all you need to know about the state of the Mets' lineup.

Muno, Granderson and Tejada all struck out looking to give Chris Heston his no-hitter. Carlos Beltran strikes out looking in 2006 and many fans never forgive him. And that was against Adam Wainwright.

At least Matt Harvey is pitching tonight. Talk about a need for a stopper. A Dark Knight to erase memories of a dark night. Or at least to keep the game a scoreless tie for a while.

Our blog can declare it's "a whole new ballgame." If only the same could be said for the Mets' offense.

Answer the call to help the loved ones of New York's fallen heroes

Wednesday is the Mets' 31st Annual New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund Game and Family Day at Citi Field for over 800 loved ones of fallen NYPD, FDNY and Port Authority heroes. I am privileged to have the opportunity to cover this event. It means a lot to me.

This annual gathering, which features a pre-game barbecue and picnic with Mets alumni in attendance, was started by Mets legend (and Squawker Jon favorite) Rusty Staub in 1985. So it is not just Harvey Day; it is Hero Day.

Some of the children of the fallen NYC heroes will be throwing out the first pitch Wednesday night:

• Gabriella and Giovanna Ambelas, daughters of FDNY Lt. Gordon “Matt” Ambelas of Ladder 119, who was killed in the line of duty in July 2014. You may remember that the Ambelas family lives in my neighborhood, and that my running club friend Margaret was the person who introduced Lt. Ambelas to his wife Nanette.
• Justin Navas, son of PAPD Officer Joseph Navas, who was killed on 9/11
• Amanda Rivera, daughter of NYPD Officer William Rivera, who was killed in the line of duty in 2004.

This picture is from last year.

Other fallen first responder family members who will be at the event include the widow and parents of NYPD Detective Wenjian Liu, as well as the parents of NYPD Officer Michael Williams. Top FDNY, NYPD and PAPD officials will also be in attendance.

The New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund was founded in 1985 by Rusty Staub, and the charity has distributed an incredible amount of financial assistance to fallen heroes’ family members -- $130 million, to be exact. In addition, the fund also provides a support network for the families.

And Mr. Met will be there, of course!

I talked to Lauren Profeta, Associate Director of Development of the New York Police & Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund, about the event. She said that about 600 families are served by the fund.

Profeta says that Wednesday’s pre-game picnic, held in the bullpen area plaza of Citi Field, will feature food, candy, ice cream, free raffles and giveaways, face painting, a clown/magician, and the chance for the families to get autographs from both past and current Mets.

The families of the fallen heroes get to attend the event for free, of course. The Benefit Fund also sells tickets to be a part of the day. (Click here to attend.) Fans who buy tickets that way can attend the pre-game picnic. Profeta says that proceeds raised by ticket sales and fundraising go to fund the event, as well as raising money toward the annual stipends the families get each fall. “Last year alone, we distributed over $2 million in stipends to the families of our fallen first responders,” she notes.

These family members deserve to be honored this way. As most of you know, my father was a police officer for over 30 years in our hometown of Passaic, NJ. I wrote last week about my varied emotions about the closing of St. Clare’s, my old school and family church, and the place where my father’s funeral was held. But fortunately, I had my father alive and sentient for the first 30+ years of my life. I cannot even think to imagine what is like to lose a parent or husband or wife or child or sibling in the line of duty, the way these families have. Thank goodness that this organization exists, and provides meaningful assistance to these families for the rest of their lives.

For more information about this night, you can visit www.answerthecall.org to donate and to learn more about the organization.  You can also follow them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/answerthecallnyc), Twitter (@answerthecall), and Instagram (@answerthecallnyc)

San Francisco Giant Hunter Pence is a world champion -- and a "Game of Thrones" fan!

San Francisco Giants pitcher Chris Heston may have just thrown a no-hitter in only his 13th major league start ever. But is he throwing a "Game of Thrones" finale party? No. However, teammate Hunter Pence is. Watch the funny video below!

How best-selling author Jon Acuff's new book explains A-Rod's career "Do Over"

Alex Rodriguez's career renaissance has been nothing short of remarkable. He has 11 homers, 28 RBI, and a slash line of .280/.386/.522 for 2015 -- all great numbers that I don't think any of us, including this Arodologist, saw coming. Now A-Rod is closing in on 3000 hits. Heck, even the "nothing is a milestone" Yankees are now openly promoting his All-Star Game candidacy!

This graphic was in an email the Yankees are sending out.
What, Stephen Drew is not #ASGWorthy anymor

I think I have a way of explaining it, though. A few months ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing New York Times best-selling author Jon Acuff about Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck.

Acuff is who I want to be when I grow up. After 16 years in the business work world, he is living the dream as a full-time author. He writes career books that offer practical, real-life advice in a humorous and compelling way. Acuff is also a really nice guy, too. Click here to read my interview with him for Guideposts.org. I loved talking to him!

Anyhow, in Do Over, he talks about how we all have a toolkit at our disposal called a Career Savings Account. This consists of the following equation: (Relationships plus Skills plus Character) times Hustle equals your Career Savings Account. As Acuff puts it, Relationships are "who you know," skills are "what you do," character is "who you are," and hustle is "how you work."

Acuff says that you need to have that Career Savings Account full, with items in every category, because chances are, each of us will face one or more of these career transitions in our lives. As Acuff writes:

You will hit a Career Ceiling and get stuck, requiring sharp skills to free yourself. You will experience a Career Bump and unexpectedly lose your job, requiring strong relationships to survive. You will make a Career Jump to a new role, requiring solid character to push through uncertainty and chaos. You will get a surprise Career Opportunity, requiring dedicated hustle to take advantage of it.

So, let's talk about how this all matters when it comes to Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez. One could argue that this season has really involved three of the four career transitions:

• Getting suspended for a year is about the ultimate in career bumps! Talk about hitting rock bottom.
• Alex also had a career jump in that he moved from third base to the designated hitter role. In addition, he has even learned to play a little first base. 
• The surprise career opportunity was this -- A-Rod wasn't expected to be much of a contributor to this team, and was penciled into the bottom of the lineup for the first few weeks of the season. But he was able to become the No. 3 hitter again, a role that he was no longer expected to play, thanks to his timely hitting.

So how did Rodriguez successfully navigate all of these career transitions? By building upon the skills in his Career Savings Account, especially the two where he had severe deficits:

Relationships: Remember that handwritten apology letter Alex wrote this spring? Skeptics mocked him for doing so, but he has indeed achieved what he promised when it came to mending fences and getting his job back: 

"This game has been my single biggest passion since I was a teenager. When I go to Spring Training, I will do everything I can to be the best player and teammate possible, earn a spot on the Yankees and help us win."

I am a big fan of Jon Acuff,
and have read most of his books.

A-Rod has also signed a lot of autograph to mend his standing with the fans. He has redoubled his efforts of being a good teammate. He even seems to handle the media much better this year. All of these things have reaped benefits. He is arguably the team's most popular player now, something that was never the case before.

Character: A-Rod wasn't exactly known for his sterling character, but he spent his year away from baseball trying to improve himself. As the ESPN story "The Education of Alex Rodriguez" says, not only did he take a class at the University of Miami, but he spent a lot of time in therapy. And a lot of time trying to understand why he did what he did. 

In addition, notice how much Rodriguez has been the better man, this year, and taken the high road at every turn. No matter what Brian Cashman or Randy Levine or Hal Steinbrenner or media members looking for controversy said, A-Rod has said and done the right thing. By being relentlessly positive and humble and self-deprecating, he has made the people against him look petty in comparison.

Skills: In his career, Rodriguez was never lacking in skills. But there were concerns that he lost them after two hip surgeries and pushing 40. Fortunately, this part of the Career Savings Account is still full. He also added to his skill set by learning first base.

Hustle: Hustle is also a category he has never lacked in. A-Rod showed up early to spring training, to the dismay of the Yankees, and has been like the old Alex this year. 

Anyhow, I think the transformation Rodriguez had made this year is nothing short of remarkable. It is the Yankee equivalent of Matthew McConaughey going from shirtless himbo to Oscar winner! And Acuff's book explains it. If you are looking to make your own career transition, read Do Over. I highly recommend it!

Shocker! One of the Squawkers correctly guesses a John Sterling home run call!

I didn't get to watch any of the Yankee games this weekend, but I do have some opinions on a few Yankee-related things. More on that in a sec.

Instead, I ran in two road races, went out to dinner with friends, checked out the Morrison Hotel art gallery, visited the new location of the Whitney Museum of American Art in the Meatpacking District, and walked the entire High Line, including the new section. For once in my life, I actually had a life this weekend!

By the way, the Whitney is a must-see. Not only is there some remarkable art worth checking out, but the views from the building's terraces are just breathtaking. It is absolutely stunning. I will be back here. Soon!

And the new High Line section, which goes up to 34th Street towards the Hudson River, is also amazing. I used to work in that neighborhood when I was at the Daily News, and it is rapidly changing. (It was pretty much a dump when I was there!) I will also be back there. Soon!

Oh, and I saw the Staten Island leash lady with my own eyes! I was walking on Midland Avenue when I saw a man walking his dog -- and his girlfriend. And yes, she was wearing a dog collar. This was at 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning! To which Squawker Jon asked 1) did I throw her a bone, and 2) if this were really the leash couple, or shameless copycats!

Anyhow, now that I have completed the "Lisa's weekend" portion of this Squawk, I can talk about two amazing things.

Jose Pirela hit his first career homer this weekend. Every time a new Yankee hits their first homer, Squawker Jon and I try to figure out what the call will be. Last night, I heard what Sterling's call was, so I made Jon guess. And after a few tries, he actually got it! It is: "Jose Pirela! The Most Happy Fella!" Jon figured given Jon's (and Suzyn)'s love of show tunes, it would be a natural! However, he is a little disgusted with himself that he could actually channel Sterling's mind here. Hang your head in shame, Jon!

Oh, and how about CC Sabathia showing such passion? Check out the clip below before somebody pulls it. You can hear a slew of curses unleashed, including the F-bomb! I was tremendously entertained by this.

With the 15th pick, the Mets take Michael Cuddyer

The amateur draft is Monday, and the Mets don't have first-round pick because they signed free agent Michael Cuddyer. It was a dubious move when it happened, and it still looks dubious now.

In 51 games, Cuddyer is hitting .268 with 6 homers, 24 RBI and a .744 OPS. He's hit better since a slow April, when he batted .247 with a .702 OPS. Cuddyer has already played more games this season than all of last year, when he played in only 49 games.

But there is no guarantee that the 36-year-old Cuddyer will stay healthy - he hasn't played in 140 games since 2010.  And even if he does stay healthy, he does not figure to get much higher than his current numbers, which are similar to what he had in Minnesota as opposed to Colorado.

Four other teams forfeited a first-round pick this year to sign a free agent: the Nationals, when they signed Max Scherzer; the Padres, when they signed James Shields; the Mariners, when they signed Nelson Cruz and the Jays, when they signed Russell Martin. These players were far more highly ranked than Cuddyer and are the kind of players worth giving up a first-rounder for. But they cost tens of millions more dollars than Cuddyer, money the Mets are unwilling to spend.

The Mets didn't need pitching or catching, and while Nelson Cruz would have looked great in a Mets uniform, some other free agent hitters this year (who did not cost a first-rounder) have so far done worse than Cuddyer, such as Pablo Sandoval, Melky Cabrera and Billy Butler. But spending free-agent money on second-tier free agents like Cuddyer and Curtis Granderson is counterproductive if these players do not produce. The Mets desperately need more offense, but can't upgrade their outfield even if someone good were available because Cuddyer and Granderson's salaries are not going to the bench.

If the Mets had not signed Cuddyer, they would have had the fifteenth pick in the draft. Since 2001, the player drafted fifteenth with the highest WAR to date is, ominously enough, Scott Kazmir. The player with the second-highest WAR is Yankee fan favorite Stephen Drew.

The Mets won't participate in the draft until the 53rd pick. For what it's worth, in 1972, with the 53rd pick, the Montreal Expos selected Gary Carter.

Want to win a free Spartan Race entry? Read on!

Cool news: our friends at the Spartan Race have given me a free race entry to give away to a lucky Subway Squawkers reader. You can use this for any open U.S. race, whether it is a Sprint, Super, or Beast. This is approximately a $150 (or more) value, depending on which one you choose!

All you need to do is send an email with your name to Subwaysquawkers@gmail.com --and please use the subject line "Spartan Race contest." We are going to do the contest through Monday, June 15th at 5 p.m., after which we will randomly select a name. Why not enter right now?

RIP St. Clare's of Clifton, NJ: Saying goodbye to my old grade school

You know how comic book movies talk about origin stories? Well, St. Clare's of Clifton, NJ is where much of my own origin story began. I went to elementary school and church there. And I heard today that the school is closing, and the church's future is unclear. Hearing this news brought on a lot of emotions for me today.

My memories of St. Clare's are pretty bittersweet, starting with the fact that the last time I was there, it was for my father's funeral at the church.

Also, I was in the first grade at St. Clare's when I contracted encephalitis from a case of the chicken pox. I talked in my Guideposts magazine Spartan Race story about how the illness sapped my coordination. Encephalitis also nearly killed me.

I literally don't remember most of what I was like before I got sick, but family members tell me I was a really bright, confident child. Taught myself how to read when I was three. When I was in kindergarten, classmates would ask me to read what the teacher's notes to their parents said!  

But everything changed when I was six years old. I was rushed to the hospital after taking ill. I spent several weeks there. There were real doubts about whether I was going to live, which is why Father Hooper, a priest at St. Clare's, came to the hospital to give me communion for the first time, a year ahead of the traditional First Holy Communion service. Not exactly a good sign.

Obviously, I recovered, but it was a long journey, and I missed an entire marking period of school. I have blanked out on most of the details. But my mother and brother recently filled me in on some of these details after my Spartan Race piece ran. It turns out that my coordination was so bad that my mother had to carry me up the stairs when I first got out of the hospital, and I couldn't even use the bathroom for a while without her help. She also had to teach me how to do everything all over again, including riding a bike.

 

My brother said that my coordination was so bad that I couldn't even put a lollipop in my own mouth -- I kept on missing! I also had to have months of speech therapy. And obviously, my psyche was permanently changed after nearly dying; I became a pretty neurotic kid, for the most part.

 

Fortunately, I did get some positive support from the school at the time. I do remember missing my classmates when I was out sick, and how they sent me cards and such. I also remember how one of my classmate's parents painted a beautiful pink ceramic music box princess for me that had blonde hair and blue eyes, just like I did, and even painted my name on her. (My younger sister was extremely jealous of this gift and managed to "accidentally" break the fingers on her over the years!)

 

I also remember that in the next school year, Miss Treptau, my second grade teacher at St. Clare's, gave me my first and only D of my elementary school years. I had never even had any grade lower than an A before that!

 

The D was for my bad handwriting, and I was devastated over that terrible grade. The issue was that I had problems holding a pen or pencil correctly due to coordination issues. I still hold a pen in a weird way (I kind of turn my hand like a lefty, even though I am a righty.) And my handwriting was admittedly pretty awful. But you would think that my physical condition might have made that teacher cut me some slack here. No such luck.

 

Fortunately, there were some good teachers at St. Clare's as well. The one I remember the most was Miss Bernadette Henry, my fourth-grade teacher. She was kind of a hippie/New Age type, and taught us all sorts of things that made us more well-rounded kids than just the Three Rs. For example, she fostered a lifelong love of music in me by showing us a documentary on the Beatles. Hearing and seeing them was a real revelation, and I ended up wanting to listen to all of their music, a passionate pattern I have repeated over and over in my life, most recently with the Grateful Dead!

 

My brothers loaned me some of their Beatles records to listen to, which I did, incessantly. I also ended up using the money I got for my 10th birthday that year to buy "Abbey Road." I even acted out the "Woke Up/Fell Out of Bed" part of "A Day in the Life" for a skit I came up with for my fourth-grade class. That was one of my happiest memories ever.

 

Miss Henry also was big on teaching us things like how to make butter, and how you could cut up an apple and make some really cool designs, and then let the apple dry like that. We also had arts and crafts every week, which is where I learned how to crochet and do needlework, things I still like to do. Miss Henry only stayed one year at St. Clare's -- I think she was probably too radical for a Catholic school -- but I think I learned more real-life, interesting, practical stuff from her than from any other teacher I ever had in my life.

 

I do have some baseball-related memories connected with St. Clare's as well. My father always encouraged my love of the Yankees. In 1978, when the Yanks were having their post-World Series ticker tape parade, my father showed up at the school to get me out of class and take me to the parade in New York City! How cool was that?

 

Sister Clare, the principal, agreed, but said that he could only do it that one time. "Don't let it happen again," she said. As it turned out, that would be the last time the Yankees would win the World Series until 1996. It seemed like Sister Clare had put a jinx on the Yanks, and that it took Joe Torre, with a sister who is a nun, to remove the jinx!

 

Thanks to the magic of Facebook, I am back in touch with some childhood friends, which I love. Especially my fellow Yankee fan friend Kelly Deutsch, who was cool and a little dangerous then, and still cool now!  

 

On a sadder note, one of the worst days of my life was my father's funeral at St. Clare's Church in September 2007. My dad had suffered from dementia for the last few years of his life, but it didn't make his death at 86 any easier for me to take. He died in Austin, TX on September 10, 2007; my parents had moved to Texas in 1987 after his retirement from the Passaic, NJ police force. We had the funeral at St. Clare's because many of my father's relatives and friends still lived in the area. Then my father was buried in Arlington National Cemetery two weeks later. He had earned a Silver Star and Purple Heart in World War II (read more about his record here.) 

 

My father getting promoted to police sergeant in 1972. 

This is a pre-encephalitis photo of me in the purple coat.

I took care of all the funeral arrangements, as I was the only Swan kid living in there area at the time, and held it together as much as I could until the day of the funeral. Then I was a mess from then until weeks afterward. I remember shedding so many tears that day. Seeing a phalanx of Passaic police cars escort us to the church in a sign of respect. Seeing my then-18-year-old nephew weeping even more than I did, over the passing of the only real father figure he ever had in his life.

 

I think back about how hard my father worked to support a wife and four children on a cop's salary, supplemented with a gazillion part-time jobs, including working as a pallbearer at several funeral homes, and doing security jobs at Foodtown and at Pope Pius High School. He worked so hard to pay for our schooling, and sent us to Catholic school at St. Clare's because he wanted his children to have the opportunities he never did. As my brother put it in his excellent eulogy (you can read it and more about our father here): "I sometimes wonder if he ever slept at all during the years I was home growing up." I wonder that, too. He literally never had time for himself; no time to ever do anything he wanted to do. We worry about being fulfilled in our jobs; he just worried about making enough money to put food on the table.

 

I will always associate the September my father died seven years ago with the Green Day song "Wake Me Up When September Ends," which is about singer Billie Joe Armstrong losing his own father. These lyrics still make me cry, as they are doing right now:  

 

Summer has come and passed

The innocent can never last

Wake me up when September ends

  

Like my fathers come to pass

Seven years has gone so fast

Wake me up when September ends

 

Here comes the rain again

Falling from the stars

Drenched in my pain again

Becoming who we are

 

As my memory rests

But never forgets what I lost

Wake me up when September ends

 

Watch the new #ThisIsNow ad for BODYARMOR Sports Drink

Check out this new ad from BODYARMOR Sports Drink. Not only do they make an actually tasty sports drink, but they recently released their first-ever digital video featuring seven of their top athlete partners – Andrew Luck, James Harden, Rob Gronkowski, Mike Trout, Richard Sherman, Buster Posey and Skylar Diggins – to introduce #ThisIsNOW.  Needless to say, Richard Sherman is my favorite in the ad! Cool stuff! Here is the commercial

 

How should John Sterling and Michael Kay mark A-Rod's 666th homer?

Some people use crowdsourcing for important things like updating Wikipedia, gathering genealogy research, and brainstorming big ideas. I am using it for something important in its own way, too -- trying to figure out how Michael Kay and John Sterling should announce Alex Rodriguez's 666th homer! He is only one away now, so they need to figure it out soon!

The great Yankee blog It Is High, It Is Far, It Is Caught recently got the ball rolling on marketing strategies, and suggested the following for Michael Kay's call: "PIT... FURNACE... HELL... SEE YA!" and for John Sterling's call: "It's an A-Bomb...from the Antichrist!" But I figured my Facebook friends could come up with some other great ones as well.

So here are some of the potential calls that Facebook friends came up with:

Brad sez: "Give the devil his due! A-Rod has reached six-six-six!"

Joe suggested: "Number 666. Mark it down! A beast of a home run!"

Rocco's idea was: "The devil made him do it!"

I suggested: "Lucifer launches one!"

John came up with: "He put the horns on the opposition!"

Edward sez: "The blast of the beast!"

But I think my friend Steve's is the winner: "It's an O-Men for A-Rod!"

My Facebook friends also talked about the music that should be played. Multiple people suggested  the Charlie Daniels song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Other songs that were talked about as good music choices include the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil," Iron Maiden's "The Number of the Beast," and Santana's "Evil Ways."

And F.X. suggested not just a call, but a whole scenario for marking the moment: 

"It is high, it is far, it is gone! A-Rod hits an A-Bomb and the Apocalypse is upon us! The Anti-Christ is revealed! The 4 Horsemen stride into left field from the Yankee Bullpen and we see them unmasked at last, George Steinbrenner, Bowie Kuhn, Judge Landis and Charlie Comiskey! It's the End of Baseball! The End of America! The End of the World! Number 666!"

To which I say: after all of this, Brian Cashman tells the media: "Nope! Still not a milestone!"