centerfield maz

Michael William Difelice was born on May 28, 1969 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The six foot two catcher, is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, getting drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the eleventh round of the 1991 draft. He didn’t hit for power or average but was always a fine defensive catcher. He threw out over 45% of would be base runners from 1994-1996 earning a quick cup of coffee with the 1996 St. Louis Cardinals. MLB Career: In 1997 he saw action in 93 games, sharing time with Tom Lampkin, batting .238 with 4 HRs & a career high 30 RBIs. In 1998 he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the expansion draft becoming an original Devil Ray. He would spend three and a half seasons with Tampa throwing out over 40% of base stealers twice.  photo by centerfieldmaz- Spring Training 2007 He batted a career high .307 in 1999 (179 at bats). That season he also hit a career high six HRs, & repeated that the following season. On July 31st, 2001,...

Raymond Joseph Robert Daviault was born May 27, 1934 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The right handed pitcher had ties with all three National League New York baseball teams at one time or another in his career.  The six foot one, right hand pitcher was originally signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954.  He pitched in their organization for six seasons mostly at the A ball levels or lower.  At the time he arrived he only spoke French. In 1960 he went to the San Francisco Giants organization & pitched there for two seasons. In 1960, he was a best 13-5 with a 2.76 ERA, at AAA Rio Grande Valley.  Daviault was a ten game winner (10-9) in 1961 for Tacoma, in the AAA Pacific Coast League, before getting drafted by the New York Mets in the 1961 expansion draft. Original Met: Daviault was an original 1962 Met & became the first Canadian born player to don a Mets uniform. He became known as "Frenchy" due to his Quebec upbringing. He was remembered as a good nature...

Wednesday April 20th 1983: A Wednesday double header was big game for popular Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson. The Mets led by manager George Bamberger hosted Chuck Tanner's Pittsburgh Pirates. The first game was like a day from the past, as Tom Seaver took the mound & pitched a three hit shut out. The 38 year old Seaver was brought back to New York that year after spending 5 1/2 years with the Reds. He was traded for Charlie Puleo, Lloyd McClendenon & minor leaguer Jason Felice. The Mets were not a good team at the time & the return of Seaver was a nostalgic treat. This was Seaver's best outing of the 1983 season, he pitched a complete game, three hit shut out striking out nine & walking three. Starting Lineups Pittsburgh Pirates         New York Mets 1 Lee Lacy RF 1 Mookie Wilson CF 2 Lee Mazzilli CF 2 Bob Bailor SS 3 Bill Madlock 3B 3 Dave Kingman 1B 4 Jason Thompson 1B 4 George Foster LF 5 Mike Easler L...

Wednesday April 11th 1962: This historic day in Mets history marks the very first ball game the National League New York Mets ever played. The game was played at the old Sportsman Park in St. Louis, Missouri in front of 16,147 fans. The Mets were the new National League New York team, one of two new NL teams that year, the other being the Houston Colt 45's, later to be renamed the Astros. the Mets donned blue & orange colors, in honor of the departed New York Giants & Brooklyn Dodgers who had left for California in 1957 (but that's another story). The Mets manager was “the old professor” Casey Stengel. Stengel was 72 years old in 1962 and had been a successful player & manager, since forever. Stengel was a lifetime .284 hitter who went on to win seven World Series titles as a manager. He was one of select few to have played and or managed all four New York baseball teams. Stengel was a walking Mets public relations machine, giving them the moniker “The Am...

Spring Training 1989: As the Mets were getting ready to take their team photo for the 1989 season things got heated up pretty quickly.  At the time the reigning NL Eastern Champs, were looking forward to another good year with hopes of capturing another Championship. Darryl Strawberry was the NL's reigning HR Leader & was in the last year of his contract. Darryl wanted a big pay out, he & the Mets were far apart in a highly publicized negotiation. He wanted an extension through 1992.  At the time he was making $1.4 million & if the Mets picked up his option, he would make $1.8 million in 1990 & be eligible for free agency. Strawberry's agent suggested he walk out of camp which he did later in the day.  This didn't sit well with Hernandez who was quoted in the Port St. Lucie papers as saying "a deal is a deal. If Darryl wants an extension, he should keep it out of the press." Even Gary Carter mentioned that nobody put a gun to Strawberry's head ...

What fan from the sixties, seventies & the early eighties, can forget the old bullpen carts. The vehicles were shaped like baseballs, with a cap on top as the roof.  When a relief pitcher was brought into a game, he would get driven from the bullpen, by stadium personnel, along the foul lines on the dirt in foul territory, to the pitcher's mound area near the dugouts.  There he would exit, leave his jacket with the driver & proceed to walk to the mound. The vision of the Mets great reliever, Tug McGraw (one of baseball's best firemen in the early 1970's)  immediately,  comes to mind . The Mets bullpen cart was the first of it's kind. Other teams had started the practice of driving a pitcher to the mound back in the 1950's. In the huge Cleveland Municipal Stadium, a red car was used to transport the Indians' pitchers.  In Chicago, the White Sox became the first team to use it for relief pitchers.  Later, the early sixties, the Los ...

April 1st 1982: On this day the Mets traded popular centerfielder Lee Mazzilli to the Texas Rangers for two young pitchers, Ron Darling & Walt Terrell. At the time the trade was not favorable with Mets fans. Mazzilli was a popular matinee idol for the Mets since arriving in 1976. As the Mets went downward into a last place team, it was Mazzilli who was one of the few bright spots. He spent six years with Mets up to that point, had made one All Star Team (1979), batted over .300 once & stole over thirty bases twice. He hit over 15 HRs three straight years & drove in over 70 runs twice.  He was never a superstar, but he was good looking, made basket catches like Willie Mays & was one of the better players on bad teams. More than anything else, Mazzilli was one of the most popular Mets of his era. In the strike shortened 1981 season, Mazzilli's average fell to a career worst (up to that point) .228. The Mets felt he was on the down side of his career. The new ownershi...