Rising Apple - A New York Mets Blog Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

His hair on fire,
as he hustles on the field.
Don’t burn-out, Turner.

On January 25, 1980, the media gathered inside Shea Stadium’s Diamond Club to learn of the deal that had been finalized the day before: Nelson Doubleday & Co. had seized controlling interest in the Mets, shelling out $21.1 million to the Payson family to win a 21-group bidding war.  The Mets had finished in last place three years in a row, and they were in desperate need of a top-to-bottom overhaul.  In stepped Doubleday, a titan of the publishing industry, to save the day.

But there was another man introduced to the media that day, and that man was Fred Wilpon.  Until that moment, Wilpon was a scarcely-known real estate owner.  On that day, the Mets faithful learned that Wilpon would now be their club’s president and CEO, though he owned a mere five percent of the franchise. Continue reading this post »

Mister fire baller,
the chair-throwing Francisco.
Will he save the ninth?

Let’s face it, there hasn’t exactly been a lot of Mets news this offseason.  The Jose Reyes saga is over, Sandy Alderson probably isn’t going to make any splashes via trades or free agency-heck, there won’t even be any arbitration cases.  Outside of remaking the bullpen (which happened in the span of one evening) and filling out the bench, it’s been a quiet winter for the Amazins, something fans might not be used to after anticipating an Omar Minaya blockbuster move every year.  So what is a poor fan (and blogger) to do while counting down the days to spring training?  Here are some ideas: Continue reading this post »

As spring training approaches, Major Leaguers are not the only ones preparing for the new season.  Those in the minors will soon take the field as well, hoping to move up the ladder.  Mets minor league pitcher Greg Peavey, who split last season between Savannah and St. Lucie, went one on one with Rising Apple throughout the season, the latest installment which can be seen here.  Greg was kind enough to answer more questions in the offseason, including his thoughts on R.A. Dickey’s climb, his offseason baseball activities and leisure time. Continue reading this post »

As promised, I turned the interview table on Carlos Collazo, blogger at Tomahawk Take, and asked him four questions about the Atlanta Braves. Collazo’s answers were shocking, thrilling, and other over-dramatic adjectives. But there’s only one way to find out for sure…(after the jump). Continue reading this post »

Great, so he wants to go into the Hall as a Met.  But did Mike Piazza really just say the most impressive pitcher he ever caught was…that guy?  See it to believe it (the juicy stuff starts at around 50 seconds):

mike-piazza-on-celebrity-row-with-jill-martin-121

On January 22, 1996, the New York Mets traded Yudith Orozio, Erik Hiljus, and Eric Ludwick to the St. Louis Cardinals for Bernard Gilkey. Gilkey, a 28 year-old outfielder, had just enjoyed one of his finest seasons for the Cardinals–posting a .298/.358/.490 line with 17 HR, 69 RBI, 73 R, and 12 SB. The right-handed hitter was hardly considered of “All-Star”-caliber, but that soon changed one he donned orange and blue. Continue reading this post »

Last offseason, D.J. Carrasco was the only player signed by Sandy Alderson to receive a multi-year deal.  Carrasco responded with arguably his worst season to date as a Major Leaguer and is not guaranteed to make the 2012 Opening Day roster.  Intended to serve as a swingman, Carrasco still could have some value to the Mets this coming season-he just has to pitch better and get a little luckier. Continue reading this post »

Apparently some people actually care about what I think. Specifically, the people over at Tomahawk Take. Braves’ blogger Carlos Collazo wrote-up four Mets-centered questions, which I attempted to answer as the all-knowing person I pretend to be. I will probably ask him a few questions sometime this week, so stay tuned to a link to that. In the meantime (after the jump), check out the interview. Continue reading this post »