Sons of Rico: Mets in Retirement in 2010

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Oh, go F yourself Swoboda. And Linz. And Schulze. And Medich. And Cowan. And Spencer, you fat drunk.

And especially you, Jason Anderson. You fuck.

[HahnSolo]

Which stadium did the Beatles choose...twice?

[Benjamin Grimm]

On Mad Men recently, Don Draper got his daughter two tickets to see the Beatles at Shea Stadium. I was really hoping to see them there through the magic of computer graphic technology. I wasn't expecting it, but it would have been very cool.

[stevejrogers]

HahnSolo wrote: Which stadium did the Beatles choose...twice?

Like Paul McCartney (if any of the four was into such intricate details such as exactly what venues they should do, it'd be McCartney) was all "Well, I ya know, I think we should look at that new thing out there in...ummmm what's the name of that part of New York? Flush...something? Yea, that should be where we should go! Make it happen Brian!"

If they had any say, and I'd imagine the only person who did was Brian Epstein, it'd probably be whatever would be closer to the nearest international airport. Get in, get out, boom there ya go.

YS I probably wasn't suited for Stadium Rock to begin with, even though it would have fit more people and that was pretty much what Sid Bernstein wanted when he promoted it. The first ever stadium sized concert. Bring the electricity of an arena show to a larger scale. You probably wouldn't get that at a place like YS I. Of course 40 years later Paul McCartney played Fenway Park, but I don't think the Fenway or Wrigley "craze" was in effect back in the 1960s. I have nothing to base it on, but I'm sure the "Fenway is a great venue" doesn't start until the multi-purpose craze kicked into high gear in the 1970s.

And again, Shea was closest to the airports and had plenty of space in which to get helicoptered in and out of the area, which the Beatles were.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Jesus, Rogers.

[metirish]

Classic Rogers right there.....

[TransMonk]

Strawberry�s Sports Grill
Making Peace by Serving Wings

By ALEX WILLIAMS
Published: October 13, 2010

It was 2:30 p.m. on a recent Friday, and Darryl Strawberry was sitting in a brick-walled sports bar in Douglaston, Queens, down a cul-de-sac near the Long Island Rail Road station. There was no entourage, no adoring fans � just a half-finished milkshake and the remains of a plate of Philly cheese steak egg rolls.

Wearing a white baseball cap pulled low over his forehead, with sunglasses perched on the bill, Mr. Strawberry unfolded his 6-foot-6 frame and walked the restaurant floor in a loping gait with a hitch in the step. It was a cocky strut, familiar to any baseball fan from 17 years of ninth-inning strolls from the on-deck circle to the batter�s box.

He walked past his framed Mets jersey � No. 18 � and approached two men in their 40s who were sitting in the corner and extended a friendly hand. After years of playing the superstar and temperamental bad boy, Darryl Strawberry was ready to go to work.

This summer, the baseball legend opened Strawberry�s Sports Grill, a burgers-and-wings outpost in the far reaches of Queens. �I work the room and come in and say hello to everybody,� Mr. Strawberry said. �This is just part of being who I am, being a servant to the people.�

At the height of his fame as a Met and Yankee, the left-handed slugger filled the back pages of tabloids with his exploits on the field, and the front pages with his misadventures off it: arrests for drugs and solicitation, jail.

But he�s a different Straw now. At 48, he spends most of the year in St. Louis, with his third wife, Tracy. He survived cancer, and has been sober and devoutly Christian for six years, he said. The former troublemaker, it seems, is committing the next chapter of his life to erasing his reputation from the previous one.

And nothing says humble like a sports bar in Queens.

�I don�t have to be here,� said Mr. Strawberry, who plans to return to New York a few times a month to oversee the restaurant with his partner, Eytan Sugarman. �But my name is a different name today, and I don�t want to use my name for something just to put my face on it.�

In that way, his sports grill is a far cry from the typical celebrity vanity restaurants, like Britney Spears�s long-shuttered Nyla in Midtown. Instead of a nightclubby area, a quiet retail strip of law offices and delis is home to the restaurant, in a placid neighborhood of tree-lined streets and Tudor-style houses. The restaurant itself is understated: earth tones, dark woods and sports memorabilia. The 2,800-square-foot establishment could be mistaken for a hotel-chain steakhouse somewhere in the Midwest.

But for Mr. Strawberry, Douglaston had its advantages. For one thing, it is close to the Mets� home turf, Flushing, where he enjoyed his greatest success as a player. Also, it is far from Manhattan, where he rode high as a face of the hard-partying, bar-brawling Mets of the 1980s.

And that distance, he said, is crucial for who he is these days. �I�ve been in Missouri over the last six years of my life and it�s been very peaceful and very normal,� said Mr. Strawberry. Before he decided to jump into the New York restaurant business, he recalled, �I asked myself, �Do I really want to get back in the spotlight?� Because I�ve had that. I�m a different person today.�

His wife, whom he met in 2004, had strong opinions on the matter, too, and insisted that it not be in Manhattan. After two failed marriages, Mr. Strawberry said he has learned to listen to his wife. �We, as men, we take that for granted and don�t realize that they are there for a reason � to help guide us,� he said. �When it all boils down to it, we are so stupid.�

Mr. Strawberry and his wife live in a four-bedroom house in St. Peters, Mo., near St. Louis, with her 17-year-old son, Omar. The couple wake up at 6:30 a.m. for an extended prayer session. After that, he said, they turn on a Christian network and take in the gospel for an hour or two. Much of the day revolves around various ministries that his wife runs, including one called Threshold of Grace, devoted to helping teenagers avoid drugs and other temptations that a young Darryl never could.

Despite his new life, it�s not hard to see glimmers of the old Darryl poke through. His voice � a raspy, baritone rumble � still carries a hint of the sardonic street-smart hustler he once was.

When asked to reminiscence about his 20s, when he was feted as the future of New York baseball, he can still recall little details and the temptations. �Every place I walked in, I was the party,� he said. �They made it clear that I was in the house, and I could have whatever I want.�

But he catches himself before the memories grow too fond. �It�s very sad, it�s a very sick place to be,� he added. �But a lot of guys do it.�

At one point, Mr. Strawberry looked up and shouted �Happy birthday, Mom!� across the room at a woman, about 60. �Was everything O.K.?� She seemed surprised to be doted on by an eight-time All-Star, but flashed him an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Before long, busboys were busy clearing tables after the lunch rush. He glanced at his watch and excused himself. Mr. Strawberry had a 4 p.m. tee time at a Long Island country club.

He was running late, but before he left, he stopped and shook hands with a few more customers.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Lenny Dykstra and Ron Swoboda and the '69 Mets, as mentioned earlier by G-FAFIF, referenced in The Simpsons.

Nolan Ryan breaks a trend.

Jeff Musselman, retired uniform number.

Paul (PJ) Yoder didn't become the first known Mennonite (-sounding, anyhow) Met, but he did make the Alvernia University Hall of Fame.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Musselman was a 13 for the Blue Jays and Mets, but wore 10 in high school, that artycle says.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

RE: "Strawberry's Sports Grill"

This confuses. One who is wary about getting "back in the spotlight" probably shouldn't get into opening a restaurant period... much less one in New York, a ten-minute car ride away from his former stage.

And wifey "guided" him away from Manhattan to Douglaston, near the airport? Is she looking to get him away from drug use and into drug wholesale? Or human trafficking? Does she find foot traffic corruptive?

[Vic Sage]

isn't Darryl an alcoholic? what's he doing owning a bar?
I know i shouldn't invest in a donut shop.

[Frayed Knot]

Vic Sage wrote: isn't Darryl an alcoholic? what's he doing owning a bar? I know i shouldn't invest in a donut shop.

Darryl is a graduate of the Sam Malone School of Business.

[Frayed Knot]

This week's entry into the "Rico" news actually involves Rico

DBacks: ... former interim GM Jerry DiPoto is now in charge of both scouting and player development.
DiPoto, the club's senior vice president for scouting and player development, told Baseball America this week that he was seeking a replacement for amateur scouting director Tom Allison, who has been offered a new position in the organization but had yet to accept. Friday, the D-backs announced Rico Brogna, who managed the organization's Double-A Mobile affiliate this year, will become the farm director

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's $45 to go to the Greater Akron Hall of Fame Banquet, but you might get to meet Billy Baldwin.

Darryl Strawberry rooting for the "little redneck" he once threatened to bust in the head.

Dan Carey, high draft choice but a washout in Pompano Beach, undergoing a new experimental form of chemo.

Looking back at Hideo Nomo.

[G-Fafif]

Sandy Alomar Jr. talking to Jays about managerial vacancy.

[Guest Edgy DC]

HoJo covering the Series for the TCPalm.

[G-Fafif]

The Giants' secret weapon? Failed 1984 Met Dick Tidrow, according to Heyman.

Their scouting guru has "a special brand of genius,'' said one admiring competitor. No one knows pitching like this former Yankees and Indians hurler, and he plucked starters Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Jonathan Sanchez and closer Brian Wilson with draft choices. The first three were first-rounders, with both Lincecum (in 2006) and Bumgarner (in 2007) going No. 10 overall. Matt Cain was the 25th pick in 2002 and both Sanchez (27th round in 2004) and Wilson (23rd round in 2003) were picked after round 20.

[Vic Sage]

Billy Wags has a great final season for Braves, and then retires.
HOFer? I think so.

[Valadius]

In my heart he is, but not besting John Franco is going to hurt him. A LOT.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Vance Wilson takes over as manager for the Kane County Cougars, which I can only assume field a roster populated with sexy middle-aged women.

[G-Fafif]

Selling the drama of Roberto Alomar, on espn.com.

[metirish]

G-Fafif wrote: Selling the drama of Roberto Alomar, on espn.com.

My wife keeps me up to date on this , Alomar's family have closed ranks down there and his Mom is fighting mad.....and winning the public battle...in the latest this picture of Maripily emerged , all the while she's been claiming emotional breakdown yyybb

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

RICO BROGNA update: Resigns as Dbaggs director of player development.

The Mets are still hiring.

Rico Brogna quits as Diamondbacks farm director after getting the job last month Aaron Gleeman Nov 15, 2010, 5:14 PM EST Three weeks ago the Diamondbacks promoted Rico Brogna to director of player development as part of their front office housecleaning, but today the former big-league first baseman quit the job. Mike Bell will replace Brogna after serving as the Diamondbacks� minor league field coordinator this season. Arizona senior vice president of scouting and player development Jerry Dipoto announced the switch and gave no details on Brogna�s change of heart, other than to say: �We all respect Rico�s decision to resign as director of player development and wish him the best in his future endeavors.� Kevin Towers was hired as the Diamondbacks� new general manager last month and beat out Dipoto, who had served as interim GM.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Brogna has a reputaton for flightiness and has left behind a lot of angry employers.

[Guest themetfairy]

Rico Brogna - not a good fit.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

RICO BROGNA 123 Fake St. Springfield, USA WORK EXPERIENCE Director, Player Development, Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix, AZ Oct. 15, 2010-Nov. 15, 2010 Responsible for all aspects of Player Development for Major League baseball franchise. Oversaw players. Enacted development. Directed department. Developed players. Manager, Mobile BayBears, Mobile, Ala. Jan. 2010-Oct. 14, 2010 Led Class AA farm team of the Arizona Diambondbacks to a 75-62 record, it's third-best finish in team history. Went to Southern League playoffs, lost to Jacksonville. Assistant football coach, Weslyan University, Middletown, CT Jan. 2009-Jan. 2010 Assisted in coaching a Division III college football program. Learned attention to detail, the organizational part, and leadership. Head Basketball Coach, Watertown High, Watertown, CT 2008-2009 Coached high school basketball team for alma mater, leading team to 5-35 record over two seasons. Major League Scout, Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix, AZ 2006-2009 Northeast-based scout, scouting Major League teams and Major League players for Major League franchise. Interim Minor League Field Coordinator, Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix, AZ 2009 Helped coordinate fields for minor league players team on an interim basis following promotion of Jack Howell. Head Football Coach, Nonnewaug High School 2008 Led winless team to first-ever football victory. Baseball Coach, Post University, Waterbury, CT May 15, 2005-2006 Great fit for Division III college program. Implemented impeccable baseball resume, and philosophy regarding student-athlete development kept with that of the institution. Scout, Colorado Rockies, Denver, CO 2005 Scouted stuff for Major League franchise. Hitting Coach, Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia PA 2004 Assisted players in Phillies organization to hit baseballs. Assistant Wideout Coach, Weslyan University, Middletown, Conn. 2004 Assisted in the coaching of wide receivers from division III college football program. Fit in good with program. Football Coach, Kennedy High, Waterbury, CT 2001-2002 Amassed 1-20 record over two seasons as high school football coach. Batting Instructor, Reading Phillies, Reading, PA 2001 Coached minor league team in hitting. First Baseman, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta, GA 2001 Batted .248 with 3 home runs First Baseman/Designated Hitter, Boston Red Sox, Boston, MA Aug. 13, 2000-Oct. 2000 Hit .196 in 43 games First Baseman, Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia, PA 1997-2000 Drove in 100 runs in 1998 and 1999 First Baseman, New York Mets, Queens, NY 1994-1996 Sensational arrival replacing injured David Segui. Hit .351/.380/.626//1.006 in 1994. First Baseman, Detroit Tigers, Detroit, MI 1992 Made major league debut REFERENCES "Great fit" --Dan Mara, Associate Vice President for Athletics, Post U. "Just a quality human being and an excellent communicator." --Brett Butler, former teammate and follow minor league manager. �He�s helped out a lot with how to deal with the pressures of the sport.� --Kyle Weiss, a sophomore flanker and punter from Connecticut. "My first reaction when I found out that Coach Brogna was going to be coaching for us at Nonnewaug was an excited one." --Zak Dominello, junior wide receiver Rico Brogna is a disaster as a coach and person! --Robert Kenny

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Hey how come my linky things don;t work

I suck

[Benjamin Grimm]

HTML ist verboten.

You need to use the URL tags instead.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

What a shitty system, fuck it

[HahnSolo]

metirish wrote: G-Fafif wrote: Selling the drama of Roberto Alomar, on espn.com. My wife keeps me up to date on this , Alomar's family have closed ranks down there and his Mom is fighting mad.....and winning the public battle...in the latest this picture of Maripily emerged , all the while she's been claiming emotional breakdown yyybb

He is wearing the #8...I think this is Gary Carter.