Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie.

Tough cuts and the chief wingnut

This budget proposal comes from a man who wants to be the face of New Jersey conservatism? The Corzine budget proposal is going to be painful enough without putting in place the kind of draconian cuts that Steve Lonegan is pushing. I’m thinking it is time that the state’s media stop taking this guy seriously.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

E-mail me by clicking here.

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.

Random thoughts on the Mets pitching history

The acquisition of Johan Santana this off-season got me thinking about some useless information, as Jason Stark would call it.

The Mets the last few years have been known for their bats, but historically this has been a team built around pitching. Its greatest player was Tom Seaver, a three-time Cy Young pitcher, and its two World Series teams were built on arms. Met pitchers have won the award four times — Dwight Gooden is the other.

The Santana acquisition gives the Mets two former Cy Young award winners for the third straight years — with both pitchers each year winning the award more than once. Pedro Martinez, in his third year with the Mets, is a three-time winner, Santana a two-time winner and Tom Glavine, Pedro’s teammate for two years, won twice.

All told, there have been 10 pitchers who came to the Mets after winning the Cy Young: Warren Spahn, Dean Chance, Mike Marshall, Randy Jones, Frank Viola, Bret Saberhagen, Orel Hershiser, Glavine, Pedro and Santana.

There also have been two pitchers to win the award after leaving the Mets: Mike Scott and David Cone.

Other odd notes about the Cy Young: Four pitchers — Gaylord Perry, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens — have won the award in both leagues. Sanata is hoping to add his name to this list. Greg Maddux is the only other pitcher to win the award for multiple teams and Clemens is the only pitcher to win with four teams.

Perry and his brother, Jim Perry, are the only brother combo to win it.

The Dodgers have won eight and the Braves seven, each covering two cities. In the AL, the Orioles and Red Sox have each won six.

The Mets (Santana and Martinez), Padres (Jake Peavey and Maddux), Diamondbacks (Brandon Webb and Johnson) and Braves (Glavine and John Smoltz) each have two former Cy Young winners on their teams this year.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

E-mail me by clicking here.

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.

Spring is in the arms

At this point in the spring, before a real pitch has even been thrown, there is always hope. And while I agree with John Harper about John Maine (pictured from Mets’ site) and the Mets’ rotation — the same story could be written about Oliver Perez, as well — I am desperately trying to keep my optimism to myself. Even if the Phillies’ big acquisition is on the shelf for at least a month.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

E-mail me by clicking here.

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.