centerfield maz

Juan Miguel Padilla was Born on February 17, 1977, in Rio Piedras Puerto Rico.  The six-foot right hander eventually made his way to the United States pitching at Jacksonville University for the Dolphins. There he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 24th round of the 1998 draft.   In 2001  Juan pitched in the minor leagues as a reliever saving 23 games at A ball for Fort Meyers. The next year he saved 29 games at AA New Britian. MLB Career:  In 2003 Padilla was sent to the AL New York club in exchange for former Mets 1986 Champion relief pitcher Jesse Orosco.  In 2004 Padilla debuted in the majors pitching for six games.  He was placed on waivers & picked by the Cincinnati Reds where he pitched in 12 games. On September 30th, Padilla got his first career win coming against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mets Career: For 2005, Padilla was signed by the New York Mets as a free agent. He began the year at AAA Norfolk going 3-2 with 11 saves...

Jerry Koosman enjoys the fruits of Japan In the off season of 1974, the Mets took a three-week good will tour of Japan. They had originally been asked to do the trip while still being the defending NL Champs a year earlier.  The New York Mets were a known team in Japan, with American baseball stars like Tom Seaver, Willie Mays, Yogi Berra, Jerry Koosman & Tug McGraw on the roster, the Japanese baseball fans were aware of them. But not all the Mets were into going on the long trip. Bud Harrelson, Cleon Jones, Jerry Grote & Tug McGraw declined to participate in the journey. People in the organization felt that Tug McGraw being traded in the 1974-1975 off season may have had something to do with his not going to Japan.  The Mets arrived at Tokyo International Airport on Saturday October 25th, 1974, to plenty of fanfare & flashing lights. Quotes- Manager Yogi Berra: "We plan on giving the fans some good hard baseball action. I ...

The 1964 All Star Game was held at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York. At the time the area was jumping with a new mid-sixties excitement. Shea Stadium was a brand new $29 million dollar ballpark & one of the most glamourous in all of baseball. It was designed by the standards of that day, to be the greatest stadium ever built for baseball. It was huge with its 56,000-seating capacity compared to most of the older, smaller parks still in use at the time. It was also billed as having great views of the play from every seat, as there were no concrete columns or pillars in the sightlines, like the older parks. The walkway rafts & escaladers were considered modern for the time, so fans could exit more quickly.  Then there was Shea's most famous feature, the tremendous state of the art 175-foot scoreboard standing eight stories high. At the time it also had a large screen in the top center top, that projected photos of the players coming to bat. In 1964 this was way ahead...