centerfield maz

NY Giants broadcaster Russ Hodges made the legendary call for the baseballs most famous home run. Bobby Thomson’s “shot heard round the world” in the bottom of the 9th inning of the 1951 NL Playoff at the Polo Grounds. “Hartung down the line at third, not taking any chances. Lockman without too big of a lead at second, but he'll be running like the wind if Thomson hits one. Branca throws. There's a long drive. It's gonna be, I believe -- The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! Bobby Thomson hits into the lower deck of the left-field stands! The Giants win the pennant! And they're going crazy! They're going crazy! Oh-ho!” Legend has it, the only reason the broadcast exists is because a Dodger fan began recording the last inning to hear the Giants announcer Ho dges, "cry" after the last Giants lost. Hodges said the next day the fan called him and said “you have to have this tape” and mai...

These days as Mike Piazza awaits his induction into Cooperstown, he is serving as an Ambassador to baseball, promoting the game in Italy. Piazza being of Italian heritage played on the 2006 Italian National Team in the World Baseball Classic. This past March he was their hitting instructor. Recently he was holding clinics in Tuscany o n hitting. Also coaching the players as they prepare for competition in The European Champion Cup & the World Baseball Cup. Italy has improved greatly in world baseball competition, most notably their victory over the heavily favored Team Canada in the WBC. Alexi Maestri is the first Italian player to sign with an MLB club, the Cubs. He currently pitches for the Tennessee Smokies but suffered a huge set back as a shoulder injury shut him down for the rest of the year. Alex Liddi is one of the top prospects in the Mariners system, a thi rd baseman who is only 18 years old. He is expected to get up to the major league level in 2012. Alot of hope on Euop...

I am proud to say that at last nights Mets win over the Nationals, not only did I witness live, (1) the 1st ball affected by the right field Pepsi Porch over hang (2) the 4th Mets win in a row (3) Rookie Fernando Martinez getting booed for lazily not running out a pop fly that was dropped (4) another Santana win, and a wild wacky game as a whole. But I also caught the second foul ball of my life. Well I actually didn't catch it, but I benefited from a miss play of the row in front of me. In the 2nd inning Ramon Castro hit three foul balls in my area (Section 409), I got the third. First the ball hit off some ones arm in front of me, then the ball bounced into my row, and beneath the scrum of hands, elbows and heads banging together, I came out victorious!! Yes thanks to an assist I got my first Citi Field ball. I was impressed to see all the balls used at Citi Field games have the Inaugural season logo on them. My 1st foul ball was caught in at Shea in 2005. I was down in the 1st r...

May 25, 1954: By todays standards a game lasting 2 minutes 54 seconds is the norm. Back in 1954 it took that long to comlplete a game where the Giants scored 21 runs pummeling the Pirates 21-4 at the Polo Grounds. The Tuesday afternoon matinee only had a crowd of 7000 plus on hand to see the Giants score the most runs they would in any game all year. Behind Johnny Antonelli's complete game seven hitter, his sixth victory in the 21 he would win on the season, the Giants scored 21 runs on 22 hits off fi ve different Pirates pitchers. Whitey Lockman led the charge with 4 hits and a grand slam HR to right field in the 7th inning off Joe Page. It was Lockmans 7th HR of the year and gave him 21 RBIs up to that point. Second baseman Davey Williams hit a three run shot in the 8th inning and was one of four Giants to have three hits on the day. Weak hitting catcher Ray Katt was batting .314 at the time, he had 3 hits, including a double, triple & an intentional walk, driving in five ru...

Back in June1979 I was graduating the 8th grade, for myself and a generation (or two) The Who's Kids Are Alright album & movie was a major soundtrack to that time. It was all over the radio in the summer & fall of 1979, especially on 95.5 WPLJ in its prime. When VCRs first came out we spent many an afternoon & evening renting out this movie watching it over & over as we partied to the music, as it came alive in video. The Kids Are Alright is movie that documents the Who's first 15 years in old television & concert footage. The producer was Jeff Stein who was a fan with no prior experience. He approached Pete Townshend in 1975 with the idea, and Pete was coaxed by the bands manager to do it. When the initial footage was shown to the band & their wives, they loved it. It was one of the first documentries where the story was told by the band and people close assciate d with them. They also used the project moved forward but needed more recent material. A fi...