…is Las Vegas. Much as I’d rather bask in the warm, fuzzy memories of the Mets erasing a 4-0 deficit to the Cubbies last night (David Wright going 3 for 4 with a 2 run HR, Damion Easley redeeming himself after some early foilbles with great glovework at 2B, Aaron Heilman earning a W with one pitch….and the Fear Of A Jose Reyes Planet, above, ending the game after Carlos D.’s bases loaded walk), we’ll instead turn our attention to the exploits of Flushing’s no. 1 PED-assisted middle reliever. From the New York Daily News’ Adam Rubin :
Guillermo Mota made his Zephyrs debut Monday night at Las Vegas. Pitching for Triple-A New Orleans, Mota pitched a scoreless eighth, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in a 7-5 loss. Barring a rainout, he’ll be activated May 30, for the Mets’ 51st game. He was eligible to begin making minor-league rehab appearances before paying crowds 16 days before that activation. Mota is serving a 50-game suspension for a positive steroid test. The Mets gave him a sweetheart two-year, $5 million deal despite the cheating. The club backloaded $3.2 million in the second year, because Mota will forfeit about 32% of this year’s salary.
Though a dilligent, talented reporter, Rubin failed to mention that Mota turned up weighing 110 pounds, and his fastball topped out at 60 miles per hour.
Mota didn’t feature in New Orleans’ 9-8 matinee win over Vegas earlier today. Andy Tracy hit his 9th HR of the PCL campaign, while the ageless (well, 33) Ricky Ledee went 2 for 5 with a pair of RBI’s.
I’m glad CSTB had some fuzzy memories of the Mets comeback, a game I had to watch on a flight from NYC to LA with no escape except to watch FOX news on the DirectTV hook-up. I hope they carried you thru the 10-1 no comeback event at Shea called Last Night’s Game. What will the Mets shave to rally back from that?
Btw, I found the Cub-crammed ESPN booth of Rick Sutcliffe and Dusty Baker a surprisingly dull in covering Le Cubes. Baker wouldn’t diss, of course, but he had little to say about any of his old players. As Cub manager, he was White House quality in his ability to duck a question and talk in circles. The man knows how to work a mic. Here he mostly got into a little league debate with Sutcliffe on what’s more important in a team, a great day-to-day player or having a great pitcher (Dusty trumped him with Willie Mays) and whether Roy Oswalt is All That.
Yankee hats: I’ve seen more Yankee hats/merch out here in LA than ever before and in NYC found that my Times Square hotel was caught in a perfect Yankee storm of an official Yank clubhouse, a Lids, and a Champs all on the same corner/street of 42nd and Broadway. Like visiting the Kremlin. Celeb spots in NYC: Danny Glover buying a corned beef sandwich at Katz’s deli (take that Mr. Gibson!) and literary critic and alleged Naomi Wolf harasser Harold Bloom — altho I’m still convinced ‘ol Percy Dovetonsils paid Wolf to say it.
Ben