Skip to main content

'Hanks You Very Much

So apparently Msrs. Ron Howard, Dennis Miller, and birthday celebrant Tom Hanks didn't stick around for Thursday's clash between the Reds and the "Catch Me If You Can" Mets, though I'll give them credit for lightening (lightning?)the mood at Wednesday's disastrous soakfest.

I think Mr. Miller would appreciate my the little joke I cracked upon seeing a hitchhiker on the highway today hoisting a sign that read "I won't kill you!" (If he broke his promise, how would I know? makes for a decent "Punchline" I suppose)

Some notes as we head into a weekend series with the Vandal/Pettitte-less Astros. Is it safe to say that "Happy Days" are here again, now that the team has straightened itself out and won 4 of 6 on the road?

* Newest acquisition Ruben Gotay, headed to Norfolk to play some second base, has never had a walk-off hit in the majors. Ruben's uncle Julio was a bit of an oddball (he had a fear of the cross), but we owe him a debt of gratitude for a walk-up win for which he was responsible in May of 1969, when he beat the frontrunning Cubs with a bottom-of-the-8th bases-loaded walk.

*As for trade talks, sounds like Omar Minaya has to decide whether Bobby Abreu's contract is "The Money Pit." So far, Omar has shown "A Beautiful Mind" (my one Howard reference) with the player acquisitions, with some particularly pleased with Endy Chavez right about now.

* Forget Carlos Delgado's 0-for-July drought, since ended (That was a "Big" home run in more ways than one). The Mets are getting dangerously close to going through the entire calendar month without a walk-off win. That's not necessarily a bad thing though. The last time they were walk-offless in July was in 2000, and the team did play meaningful games in October that season.

* The Mets are no longer in "A League of Their Own" when it comes to walk-off wins this season. The Brewers matched the Mets 9 walk-off wins total earlier this month, meaning "That Thing You Do" is no longer unique.

* The Braves acquisition of Bob Wickman made me a little more nervous about Atlanta's pennant chase, but it comforted me to know that all four of Wickman's losses this season (three of which have come on blown saves) have been walk-offs. Perhaps this is in fact a sign that the Braves are heading to a "Road to Perdition."

True Metcademy Award Winners know...Tom Hanks played Jimmy Dugan in "A League of Their Own" (a movie in which a walk-off figured quite prominently). The character was reportedly loosely based on Jimmie Foxx, who is one of five players in MLB history to hit 12 walk-off home runs (the others are Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Babe Ruth and Frank Robinson, thanks to the research of, among others, home run guru David Vincent).

It would also behoove Hanks (born July 9, 1956) to know that the Mets had walk-off wins on his 8th, 11th, and 17th birthdays.

Comments

Anonymous said…
And a somewhat unlucky 13th birthday, July 9, 1969.

Popular posts from this blog

The 'Duca of Earl (and walk-offs)

If I told you that the Mets had just obtained a guy who is a career .316 hitter with runners in scoring position? How about if I told you that the Mets just traded for a hitter who has consistently ranked among the toughest in baseball to strike out? Or if I mentioned that the Mets just dealt for a player who was selected to the NL All-Star team the last three seasons, with the last honor coming via a vote by his peers? So, although he's on the down side age wise, his throwing arm isn't as good as it used to be, and he doesn't provide much power, there are a lot of good things that Paul Lo Duca brings to the New York Mets. For example: He'll sacrifice his body for the good of the team The Dodgers and Braves squared off on August 23, 2002 and Lo Duca made an impact both on the start and finish of this game. Three pitches after being dusted by Greg Maddux, Lo Duca made him pay with a first-inning home run. The Braves rallied to tie the game, 3-3 in the ninth, but their bu...

Green Party

* Mets walk-off win #347 was the Mets 6th this season, against no defeats. This is the first time in Mets history that they've started a season with at least 6 walk-off wins before their first walk-off defeat. * It was Shawn Green's 2nd career walk-off home run, his first since September 20, 2001, when he homered in the 13th inning to beat Greg Swindell and the Diamondbacks, 3-2. It was the second walk-off home run allowed by Russ Springer, but his first since April 11, 2000, when Ed Sprague and the Padres beat him with a 13th inning home run. It was the first home run that Springer allowed all season. * This is the 5th time in Mets history that they've had as few as 3 hits and won a game in walk-off fashion. The last was June 28, 1998, when they had 3 hits and beat the Yankees 2-1 on Luis Lopez's sacrifice fly (the game where Brian McRae nearly cost the Mets the winning run by wandering aimlessly off first base on the SF). The fewest Mets hits in a Mets walk-off win is...

Walk-Offs in Movies, TV, and Other Places

Note: I'm leaving this post up through the end of the week, a) because I don't have time to pump out something new and b)because I was hoping to build a really good list of entertainment industry walk-offs...so if you're looking for something new, check back on Monday or so... Of course, if there's a major trade or move, I'll adjust and try to post something... In the meantime, click on the "Table of Contents" link as well. It has been updated. SPOILER ALERT: Read at your own risk Caught the ending of "A League of Their Own" on one of the movie channels the other day and it got me to thinking that it would be fun to compile a list of walk-offs from movies, television, and other forms of entertainment. Here's the start, and only the start, as I spent about 30 minutes or so thinking it over Help me fill in the blanks by filling out the comments section. "A League of Their Own"-- Racine beats Rockford for the All-American Girls Profess...