We pause our Mets coverage here at The Eddie Kranepool Society to focus on my new female crush. Ms. Cheryl  Bernard of Canada.  Not only is Ms. Bernardt a gorgeous female from the  Great White North  she is also a kick-ass Curler, unlike that choking American dog John Shuster, who found his sorry Curling ass on the pine yesterday as the U.S Men’s Curling team defeated France 4-3. But I digress back to the lovely Cheryl.

Ms. Bernard is the Skip of the Canadian team as in Skipper as in Main Babe in Charge and she takes her job very very seriously. Last night she was brilliant in leading her Canadian team to victory over the hotties from Denmark.  This match was so good and entertaining that I stayed with it while my Celtics were running roughshod over the Blazers.

I can’t  get enough Curling or of Cheryl Bernard (wink, wink)

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Join Steve Keane and Joe McDonald tonight at 9PM ET for another edition of PRO BASEBALL CENTRAL. We will dissect the latest snubs by Bengi Molina and Joel Pineiro of the Mets and we will discuss which way the Mets will turn to solidify their starting pitching and a front line catcher. We will look at which Mets prospects could rise from a spring training to make the final 25 man roster and a host of other Mets and baseball news,

You can join in as well with comments and question by calling in at (646) 595-4462.

If you can’t join us live you can download the podcast at The Eddie Kranepool Society, BlogTalkRadio or at our PRO BASEBALL CENTRAL site.

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I guess you can say I’m suffering from spring training burn out as I can not wait for the season to start in 9 days.

 

A must read is Matt Cerrone’s piece on his tour of $iti Field and it looks as if after all the bitching and moaning over the name and price of tickets and all the other minutia that myself and others have spewed all winter we can enjoy the fact that we have a first class ballpark to call our own that will be very different for our Shea experience.

 

I’m curious to know where you guys stand on the new studio team of Chris Carlin and Bobby Ojeda?. For me I’d say it’s a huge upgrade over Snoozeoff and Boardwalk Lee. I like Carlin. I always thought he was a good listen on WFAN and he did a good job covering the New York Football Giants as he has a jolly good personality. As for Bobby-O , he has star potential. I met Ojeda a few years ago when he was the pitching coach in Brooklyn and he knows baseball, is very opinionated and is funny as hell. The post game banter between Ojeda and Mex will be Must See TV mark my words.

 

Speaking of Keith Hernandez, he and Ron Darling will be handling the play by play for tonight’s Mets-Nats game on SNY. No Gary and no Burkhardt. I hope someone has their finger on the dump button.

 

And speaking of Gary Cohen, he has advanced to the Mets Greatest Announcers Championship Round at Amazin’ Avenue’ against Bob Murphy. Talk about your tough decisions. I had to put a lot of thought into whom I was voting for. So I went and did what I always do when I have a big decision to make, I went for a slice of pizza and a Manhattan Special. When I got back to my office, I went to my keyboard and made my choice. I am proud to announce that The Eddie Kranepool Society has backed Gary Cohen and will vote for him as the greatest announcer in Mets history. I think what swayed me was the fact I’m wearing my “It’s Outta Here” t-shirt today.

 

 

 

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My bucket list isn’t very long just few things I’d like to do before my ass burns in hell:

 

Capture Osama Bin Laden and put him on display at Astroland there by saving Coney Island.

 

Land a jetliner in the Hudson River (yeah I know that Sully guy did it already but it looked so cool on the video I’d just like to try it once)

 

Watch baseball highlights in a heart shaped bath tub with Hazel Mae

 

Go clothes shopping with Don Cherry 

 

Hit Mega-Millions and use the money to reopen CBGB and wear spandex and boa everyday and hang out with David Johansen.

 

Meet my favorite Mets player of all time Ed Kranepool

 

Well, scratch that last one of the list as yesterday my 44 year journey was complete as I finally met my Mr. Met, steady Eddie Kranepool. Oh I’ve come close a few other times. Once at a bank opening on 18^th Ave in Brooklyn, Kranepool and Mets bullpen coach Joe Pignatano were at the grand opening signing autographed 8 X 10’s. When I arrived at the bank, Ed had already left but “Piggy” was there and not only gave me and my kids autographed pics but also found a few that Eddie had signed to give out later so needless to say the are prominently displayed at the World Headquarters of The Eddie Kranepool Society (a/k/a my basement) next to my Mr. Met bubble bath and my Ron Swoboda 12 oz tumbler from Sunoco.

 

A second time was at Keyspan Park when Ed was doing color commentary on a Brooklyn Cyclones game and I tried very hard to conceal my fanboy admiration so I could infiltrate up to the press box (this is how I get around Highlander Stadium like a Special Opps agent I go in watch the game and get out and none of the Highlander faithful know there is a spy amongst them) so when I received an e mail about yesterdays event I was as happy as Navin R Johnson (Steve Martin’s character in The Jerk) when he got his new phone book. I called right away and reserved my seat.

 

So now here I am bopping into Gallagher’s Restaurant yesterday and the first thing that I notice was the plethora of fat, bald middle aged guys in attendance (as opposed to moi as I may be bald and middle aged but I’m svelte <sticks out tongue>) and I thought here we are on the eve of the 40^th anniversary of the 1969 World Champion team and the vast majority of the attendees were teenagers back then and for the next couple of hours we are all teenagers again. As I look around the bar I see Ron Swoboda holding court with a small group of businessmen (by the way I didn’t know what the dress code was for this event so I decided to gussie myself up real nice and wear a collar shirt over my orange Mets t-shirt that I got for filling out my 485^th Bank of America Master Card application at Shea. That’s why I have more blankets than the Red Cross) I saw Emerson Boozer and shook his hand (which still has an ice pack on it from his grip) I acknowledged Art Shamsky (I’m sure you all read the NY Post this morning and I wish I hung around longer as I would have ran inference for Art when the ex came after him) and then as I made my around the bar there he was, Steady Eddie.

 

At first I felt a little intimidated to speak to him. When I told him I’m the guy who named his blog after him I didn’t know if he’d take it as the compliment I set it out to be or if he start screaming “You? YOU”RE THE GUY”? but thankfully it was the former. Krane seemed to get a kick out it and said he heard about it and asked me if I had a card with the website on it which of course I did, and then Ed gave me HIS BUSSINESS CARD!!!!.

 

I don’t know if it was fear of him being mad about the blog or just the anticipation of meeting him that my childhood was flashing before my eyes (visions of Ebingers Bakery, egg creams, The Sea Beach Line, The Worlds Fair, The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, my Mr. Met megaphone that I just ate popcorn out of, and cans of Rheingold the Orange and Blue aluminum shingles of early Shea, all set to the sound track of Jane Jarvis and her Thomas Organ) but I was nervous talking to Ed and he was just the opposite calm and relaxed, Steady Eddie. He got a laugh as I told him that he was and still is my favorite Mets player of all time because I was a left hand and played first base and not fleet of foot and went by the nickname “Kranepool” and how I had a Mets uniform with 7 on it and how I wish the Mets would retire that number since he still holds or is in the top ten in most Mets lifetime hitting categories. I tried not to ramble but I’m sure I did but he seemed to enjoy my carrying on.

 

One of the dangers in meeting someone who you grew up being a huge fan of is when you do get to meet them the experience is not what you had hoped, but I would like to thank Ed Kranepool for not disappointing me by being so gracious and making yesterday even better than I had hoped it would.

 

Now back to that bucket list. I wonder what Gretchen Mol is doing Saturday night?

 

 

   

 

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I’m having my living room renovated next week (my wife has some Highlander in her DNA as most people are cutting back on spending we are tearing apart our whole living room from the ceiling to the walls to the floors and remaking it at a cost that will have me strolling downtown Staten Island in hot pants and high heels to make extra dough) and I have had to move a lot of stuff down to my basement a/k/a The World Headquarters of The Eddie Kranepool Society. One of the items I brought down was a stereo receiver, turntable and speakers. I didn’t use it must upstairs because my family is not a big fans of the music I like which runs from Heavy Metal/Punk/ and 60′s Rock n Roll. But now that I moved all of these components downstairs I’m spinning vinyl like I’m Murray the K. So as I type this post I am enjoying DERRINGER LIVE with Robin Trower VICTIMS OF FURRY on deck. Now on to the post:

 

I’m coming to the realization that when spring training begins late next month in Port St. Lonesome, Manny Ramirez will not be walking through the clubhouse door. So it looks like the Mets will go with a Dan Murphy/Fernando Tatis platoon in LF which still makes me a bit queasy. I love Murphy and would love to see him play everyday at first base (Trading high on Delgado will come back to bite Omar in the ass this season ) but Tatis really has to prove to me that he is not a deal with the devil player. I still say losing him and Damien Easley was the most overlooked reason for Collapse II  but that doesn’t mean he will pick up where he left off plus right now the 6-9 spots in the Mets lineup scares no one but Mets fans:

 

Tatis-toss up

 

Schneider-sucks

 

Castillo-blows

 

Pitcher-automatic out

 

Mike Silva posts today that with the Dodgers restructuring the contract of Andruw Jones that it could be a sign that the Castillo-Jones deal is alive and what Jones would mean to the Mets especially if it means the Mets sign O Hudson. I just wonder what Fat Andy has left in his ample tank and could he co-exist with Carlos Beltran in CF? Remeber the last time the Mets played two centerfielder’s it was a Headbanger’s Ball.

 

Speaking of Manny, Henry Shulman of the SF Examiner has the Giants-Manny scenario laid out here.

 

Metsmerized Online has a Q & A that Larry Jones did with the Sporting News and Larry is not shy about his feelings toward the Mets, Phillies and Highlanders. I’ve always had a healthy respect for Jones even though he is an all time Mets killer but he’s a no bullshit kind of guy and I like that.

 

Last night I went to the Prudential Center for the first time to see the Devils play the Montreal Canadiens (a Christmas gift from Mrs. Kranepool Society) and I have to say it is one spectacular venue. I love the wide open concourse with plenty of room to walk around and how it connects right into the seating area which has plenty of leg room. I loved the organ music before the game and between periods intermission as it gave that old time feel to being at a hockey game, plus the urban setting is something I love in fact I may have been the only one in my family that was looking forward to going to Newark. The atmosphere in the arena was so much better than any time I’ve been to the Meadowlands, which always gave me a feeling of being in the middle of no where because I guess it is in the middle of no where. There were loads of Habs fans at the game most of whom were on a package trip to NYC for New Years, and they were loud and raucous. 

 

There were a few annoying things though. They have this guy who runs around the arena and dances and carries on like an real asshole between play stoppage. He has on about 30 t-shirts that say “Jersey’s Team” on them and he whips them off while he dances in the aisle and throws them into the stands. My wife said if one of those sweaty t shirts come near her she would kick his ass. My wife is my Dave Semenko. Then they have these “cheerleaders” who dance in the concourse. It’s real cheesy and the ‘cheerleaders” are all way to skinny (I like my ladies with some junk in the trunk) and should have a funnel cake or two. They don’t open the doors to the arena until an hour before game time I guess I’m so used to Madison Square Garden (I’ll be there tomorrow to see my Boston Celtics and to plead with Doc Rivers not to let Stephon Marbury anywhere near his team) where there is lots of people and you can hang out at ice side and chat with Al Trautwig or John Giannone and watch warm ups. You can’t do that at The Rock as you have to have a ticket for that section to get in but you can hang out on the lower concourse and watch the warmups/game from there while having something to eat or drink.

 

The best part though, from my garage to the front door of the Rock is just 17 miles. Easy to get to and back from. I’ll be making more trips there I’m sure.

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Rumors are rampant that Baseball Prospectus could be bought out by the WWL and added to it’s family of web based content. Here at the Eddie Kranepool Society we are still very independent and plan to stay that way, unless of course either Al Goldstein or Larry Flynt want to talk to to me about a buy out.

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Look we all know the Mets need pitching, pitching and more pitching but there is not much we Mets fans can do but hope that Omar spends the $150 mil or so the Skill Sets have given him to bring back value for their bucks.  Now something WE do have control over is outfitting ourselves in the finest fashions and that means clothing apparel from the Gary, Keith, and Ron charity website. If you’ve been to Shea you’ve seen your fellow Mets fans dressed in the t-shirts and caps with the familar baseball/headset logo and you felt left out because let’s face it all the cool kids in the class are wearing something from the Gary, Keith and Ron collection. So in order to ratchet up your standing in the Kool Kids Klub have I got an offer for you!

When you go to Gary, Keith and Ron and  pick out what you want (not just t-shirts and caps but gift baskets and stuff animals as well) for being a reader of the Eddie Kranepool Society you will get 10 % off your order just by typing the word BLOGGER in the coupon spot on the order page. Such a steal!

So go now look over the merchandise and place your order today remember not only will you be the envy of your friends when you don your Gary, Keith and Ron apparel but you are also helping some great causes.

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