(Editor’s Note: This story, written by the amazing Greg Prince (Faith And Fear in Flushing) was originally published in the third issue of the print run of Gotham Baseball, which is now part of the national archive at the A. Bartlett Giamatti Research Center at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum . Mr. Prince graciously allowed us to re-publish the story for the digital re-launch of Gotham Baseball back in April of 2011.- MH)

Think of the 1954 Giants as The Boys of The Summer Before.

Perhaps the date is the first clue. The World Series could hardly have started any sooner, and given the course of events that quickly unfolded, there was no way it was going to end any later. In its time, that was a good thing.

But a half-century and change down the road, you have to wonder: What was the rush?

Leo Durocher’s New York Giants swept Al Lopez’s Cleveland Indians four straight to capture the 1954 World Series, a quartet of contests that commenced the afternoon of September 29 and wound up well ahead of supper October 2. In terms of the calendar, no Fall Classic has ended so soon since. October, which nowadays hosts three tiers and typically three weeks of playoffs, wasn’t even 40 hours old when the Giants became champions of the world.

Maybe if it could have been imagined that they’d never win another one — that in fact the New York Giants would cease to exist within three years of the final Indian out — the Jints would have strung the Tribe along a little longer. Maybe, but not likely. When you are an underdog of historic proportions taking out the legs of an overwhelming favorite, you don’t stop and think about posterity’s ramifications.

Still, maybe there was a harbinger hidden in the four-game sweep. In 1954, the Giants took care of business in short order as if they couldn’t wait to leave the stage. One year later, the Brooklyn Dodgers, having waited their fair share of Next Years, jumped into the spotlight, prevailing in their perennial struggle for a championship across seven games. Yes, the Bums left Brooklyn, but the ’55 Dodgers have never exited the popular consciousness.

One year, one borough apart, but the respective legacies left behind by what transpired in Manhattan in 1954 and Brooklyn in 1955 seem leagues apart. The Dodgers are perpetually romanticized. The Giants are mostly gone. Despite receiving a New York City ticker-tape parade (something the Yankees during their run of five straight championships between 1949 and 1953 never got), it feels as if history’s parade has passed the 1954 Giants by.

How come?

Well, for one, the Dodgers of the 1950s instantly became the Good Old Days to a lot of people who made like O’Malley and left Brooklyn themselves. By then, the Giants’ prime was already past; really, they represented the Good Old Days long before 1950 rolled around. Also, Brooklyn would be mourned post-1957 as no longer big-league. Take away a team, take away an identity. New York, on the other hand, was and is New York. The Giants, in a sense, got replaced. But, the thinking went, there could never be substitute for Dem Bums.

If that’s indeed what’s happened, it doesn’t make it right. Manhattan’s last champions need to be held in higher regard.

Team ’54, where are you?

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In every great dynasty, there are the unsung players who play the support role to the stars of the team. For 17 seasons, Jorge Posada has played his particular part well. As the remnants of that last great dynasty are beginning to finally erode, the Yankees are in that transition phase where saying goodbye is necessary, but entirely awkward.

The catcher’s tenure in the Bronx resulted in a .273/.374/.474 batting line along with four World Series titles. Posada wasn’t the star of the team with Jeter and Rivera present along with some high priced free agents brought in along the way, but he represented what fans liked most about the team. He was a homegrown guy who was playing a position that didn’t come naturally to him. He was one of the few core players who showed any type of emotion. He may not have been the star, but Jorge Posada was certainly the heart of the New York Yankees since 1998.

To read the rest of this article and more about the Yankees, click here for a FREE DOWNLOAD of Gotham Baseball’s Winter Issue.

The last time Johan Santana pitched in a game that meant anything, it was Sept. 2, 2010. His last pitch that day finished off a strikeout (swinging) of Omar Infante. He would leave the game after just five innings of work, earning the win over the Atlanta Braves, 4-2.

“I felt a little tightness here,” Santana said after the game, pointing to his upper left chest. “(Then-manager Jerry Manuel) said I was done for the night. I felt I was able to go back out, but he didn’t want to take any chances. I’ll be all right.”

He hasn’t pitched in a regular season game since.

***

Rewind back to Feb. 6, 2008, the Diamond Club at Shea had it last – and perhaps most healing – introductory Press Conference for its newest acquisition, as the team introduced Santana to the fan base.

The New York Giants had just won the Super Bowl, and Big Blue aficionado Jay Horwitz (who also happens to the Mets’ longtime PR man), was beaming as various media members congratulated him on his football team’s championship.

Everyone was upbeat, as much from relief as anything else. The Mets had gotten their guy, a player that most experts (including me), had predicted they had no chance at acquiring. That in and of itself had almost erased the terrible summer of 2007, when they blew a seven-game lead in the National League East with 17 to play.

To read the rest of this article and more about the Mets, click here for a FREE DOWNLOAD of Gotham Baseball’s Winter Issue

Gotham Baseball, the official magazine of the 2012 Mohegan Sun World Baseball & Softball Coaches’ Convention, is proud to announce the release of the 2011=2012 Winter Issue, which includes a complete guide to the event beginning Thursday, Jan 19, 2012 at the spectacular Mohegan Sun Resort Casino in Uncasville, CT.

The Winter Issue and Convention Guide is available for FREE download here:

http://gothambaseball.com/GB006_WINTER2011.pdf

Gotham Baseball covers the past, present and future of New York baseball, and in this latest issue, which features a pair of aces; New York Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia and New York Mets southpaw Johan Santana. Gary Armida profiles Sabathia’s return in “The Big Man is Back”, while Healey opines that for the Mets, “The Ace is The Whole”.

Also in the issue:

The Catcher Says Bye – Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is retiring. Armida takes a look at his great career.

The Magic is Back? – Joseph M. Lara tries to make some sense of the current Mets by looking at the past Mets.

Reading By The Hot Stove – Jerry Milani reviews some of his top choices for offseason reading.

The issue also includes a comprehensive guide to the three-day event, which will once again feature some of the world’s top baseball instructors in a range of settings, including new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, New York Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long, pitching guru Rick Peterson and softball star Jennie Finch.

Baseball Digest’s online editor Mark Healey, who is the founder of Gotham Baseball, will also be in attendance, manning BD affiliate Gotham Baseball’s booth with GB Co-Publisher Joseph M. Lara.

The Winter Issue and Convention Guide is available for FREE download here:

http://gothambaseball.com/GB006_WINTER2011.pdf

For more info visit the official site for the event or call 860.674.1500

This coming Monday, former Gotham Baseball scribe Howard Megdal, the author of Wilpon’s Folly joins Mark Healey on “Baseball Digest LIVE” at 10am ET

In case you haven’t heard, the Fred Wilpon / Saul Katz ownership group is in a bit of trouble these days, and no one, and I mean no one has been doing a better job of reporting on this mess than Megdal.

In the course of a year, the public has become far more aware of ownership’s financial problems. Anger among the team’s supporters is at an extraordinary level, with even the most innocuous postings on Metsblog.com, for instance, attracting dozens of exhortations to Fred Wilpon to liberate the team from its ruinous off-the-field problems by selling it. And these are the committed fans; many others are simply tuning the Reyes-less Mets out.

“Wilpon’s Folly” is a comprehensive look at just how dismal the financial outlook of the Wilpon / Katz ownership is. But it is also incredibly accessible, and in stark contrast to what many folks are writing about the Mets these days, an objective and agenda-free read.

***

While Megdal’s book and many other reports these days concern the team’s finances, most of what I have written about over the years about the Mets is about the dysfunction of ownership and its relationship with the front office. Let’s face it, if the Mets were a well-run organization, or even remotely proficient in their ability to procure talent, the financial problems would be difficult, yes, but not impossible to overcome. I mean, really, people who love to blame Omar Minaya solely for the sloppiness of the last few years either have a short memory or are just plain ignorant.

I don’t mean to absolve any Mets GM of the last 25 or so years for mistakes they’ve made, but to think that Fred Wilpon has kept himself free and clear of any decisions except to say ok to money transactions is as big a joke as the charde of a GM “search” that was conducted last winter.

As for sloppiness, remember this debacle?

Wow, talk about foreshadowing. I have grown to respect Steve Phillips as a colleague at SiriusXM, and as I have researched his tenure, can pretty much identify which deals he was in front of and which ones he wasn’t.

Phillips took a leave of absence on Nov. 8, the eve of important general manager meetings at which teams pursue trades and free agents. He was immediately, and somewhat reluctantly, replaced by Frank Cashen, who had last served as the Mets’ general manager in 1991. Cashen made one deal while he was in charge — acquiring the controversial ex-Met Bobby Bonilla for the unpopular reliever Mel Rojas, a trade that Phillips had laid the groundwork for before he stepped aside.

Did Phillips lay the groundwork for a deal involving Bonilla? Or simply talk to the Dodgers about Rojas? Hard to figure out all of the years later, especially when all of the GMs and other front office people that leave the Mets need to sign non-disclosure agreements. In any event, listen to this doozy of a quote from Fred Wilpon regarding the return of Bobby Bonilla.

‘I can’t predict what’s going to happen,” said Wilpon, a Bonilla believer. ”He’s a different guy. He has the strongest desire I’ve ever heard about not ending his career without making it in New York. That’s motivation. I have high regard for what he has left. I think he will be an important addition to this club.”

Wilpon, who has seen major off-season moves backfire before, acknowledged that bringing Bonilla back is a calculated risk, but he believes Bonilla has another motivating factor working in his behalf.

”He has one wonderful, smart and strong-willed wife,” Wilpon said of Millie Bonilla. ”She loves Greenwich, where they live. She’s ecstatic. She wants to be here. They want to be here. It makes a difference. He’s going to live in Greenwich when he’s through playing. So he has a lot of motivation.”

So, the owner is a “Bonilla believer” and he was traded for during Philips’ leave of absence by Frank Cashen? C’mon, you can’t make this stuff up. I don’t what I enjoy more, the “high regard” comment or the monologue about how Mrs. Bonilla was going to “motivate” Bobby to play better.

The Staten Island Yankees announced their 2012 coaching staff on Thursday, naming Justin Pope as the manager for the upcoming season.

Pope made his coaching debut in 2010, serving as pitching coach for the Staten Island Yankees, where he guided a staff that issued the fewest walks in the New York-Penn League (204).

“I’m very excited for the opportunity to manage in such a beautiful ballpark in front of the great fans of Staten Island,” Pope said. “I’m very happy to be back and I look forward to putting a team of very good players on the field.”

Carlos Chantres, who hasn’t been seen in a Staten Island Yankees uniform since 2006, returns to the Island as pitching coach in 2012. In the summer of ’06, Chantres’ staff led the Baby Bombers to a league best 45 wins, and the fourth New York-Penn League Championship in team history.

Ty Hawkins returns for his seventh consecutive season as the hitting coach in Staten Island. Hawkins has led the Staten Island Yankees to the second best batting average in the NYPL in four of the last five seasons, and a NYPL-most 52HR in 2009. He guided the 2006 Staten Island offense to a league-best .267 average and 365R en route to the club’s second consecutive New York-Penn League Championship.

Also joining the staff will be coach Danilo Valiente, who returns for his second consecutive season with the Baby Bombers. Last season, he helped lead Staten Island to their sixth NYPL Championship.

Take one look at Jose Reyes’ career statistics and it’s obvious what the New York Mets would lose if they let him leave.  Take one look at the joy and energy with which he plays the game; that would be gone, too. Take a look at Citi Field on any given night this past season — while it appeared to be pretty vacant, imagine it would even more empty with Reyes no longer wearing the Mets blue and orange.

Perhaps it’s the fact that the Mets fan base is hanging by a thread that will scare their brass into picking up the tab on a new Reyes contract.  While ownership has made it clear that the team will have is slashing payroll this offseason, they are essentially writing themselves a death sentence by letting Reyes get away.

In a season where the Mets overachieved for a good portion of the season without Johan Santana throwing a pitch, David Wright having the worst season of his career after suffering a broken back, and Ike Davis being lost for most of the season (after a hot start) with a routine ankle injury, Reyes was the star attraction and, for some fans, the only reason to show up at Citi Field in 2011.  Take him away and whatever remaining energy and intensity that currently exists will have been sapped.

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]]> http://www.gothambaseball.com/2011/11/the-case-to-keep-jose-reyes-2/feed/ 1 http://www.gothambaseball.com/2011/11/hodges-belongs-in-hall/ http://www.gothambaseball.com/2011/11/hodges-belongs-in-hall/#comments Sat, 19 Nov 2011 13:52:32 +0000 Chip Armonaitis http://www.gothambaseball.com/?p=2526

The case for Gil Hodges in the Hall of Fame is both statistical and emotional. It also points out all of the inconsistencies that go into the flawed process of choosing Hall of Famers.

Considered by many to be the finest fielding right-handed first baseman in the history of baseball, and certainly among the top five of all-time, Gil Hodges is currently the best player eligible for the Hall of Fame who is not in.  There are at least 10 players less deserving of enshrinement gracingCooperstown’s hallowed Hall.

The question is when will the veterans’ committee, made up solely of members of the Hall of Fame correct this mistake.

After his first year on the ballot (at one point writers kept deserving players off their ballots in the players first year of eligibility, reserving first year votes for only the best of the best) no player who ever finished ahead of Hodges in the balloting has not been elected to the Hall of Fame.  Of those who finished ahead of him in his initial year on the ballot, only Marty Marion, Allie Reynolds, Joe Gordon and Johnny Vandermeer were not ultimately enshrined.  Both Marion and Gordon are considered by many to be deserving players who have been slighted.  (Editor’s Note:  Since this was first published, Gordon was chosen to the Hall of Fame, in 2009).

The list of players Hodges finished ahead of in the voting, and the number of times that he did it – is impressive.

What is interesting is the comparison with former Brooklyn and (Los Angeles) teammate Duke Snider.  Coming onto the ballot one year later, it took Snider seven years to get to a level of support that Hodges had on every ballot after his first, and eight tries to pass Hodges in the balloting, finally accomplishing it in 1978.

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If this was a comparison of peers, similar to the Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady arguments that dominated talk-radio in November, Hodges would have a clear advantage, having beaten Snider the first seven times they went against each other.

In 1980, Snider was elected to the Hall of Famer in his 10th year on the ballot.  Obviously, many writers took their time determining that the Duke of Flatbush was a Hall-of-Famer.  Makes you wonder what made them change their mind.  A comparison of the two teammates shows some interesting things. Snider was a eight-time all-star, who drove in over 100 runs six times, and hit 40+ home runs four straight years.

Hodges, was also an eight time all-star, and drove in 100 runs seven straight seasons.  Hodges had three gold gloves, Snider none, but was in competition with Willie Mays and Richie Ashburn, so the comparison may be a bit unfair.

Snider seemed to burn brighter, Hodges more consistently.  So what happened? Numerous things could have hurt Hodges candidacy.  His untimely death in 1972 removed him from the public eye, and after initial spike in the voting, Hodges did not pick up much more additional support.

Additionally, few have argued how Hodges stacked up with Whitey Lockman, Joe Collins, Moose Skowron, Bill White and Orlando Cepeda at first base.  Hodges was clearly the best.  But the Reese vs Rizzuto (both in) and Willie, Mickey and The Duke (all three in) were emotional debates that continued into the seventies and beyond, keeping all in the front of voters minds.  Everyone knows Terry Cashman’s song.  Only Mays and Mantle were unquestionably better than Hodges.

The bitterness over George Steinbrenner and the Yankees heavy-handed tactics in getting Phil Rizzuto in may have also backfired against Hodges, particularly with non-NewYork based voters.  A backlash against a perception of too many Dodgers, Yankees and Giants in the Hall could have also contributed.

The Gold Glove award was not awarded until 1957, and Hodges won the first three. But his career was winding down by that point.  Who knows how many he would have won earlier in his career. Snider, with Mays and Ashburn as contemporaries, was unlikely to ever win a Gold Glove for centerfield play.

Lastly, the turmoil that was Shea Stadium from the death of Joan Payson until 1982, certainly had to hurt Hodges. The Dodgers have been criticized by many for abandoning theirBrooklynstars during that era, concentrating on those who went west.  The Mets, for whom Hodges also had his number retired after winning the 1969 World Series, were expected to carry the ball on his candidacy.  Like most other things in that era, they dropped it.

Richie Ashburn and Red Schoendienst both had tremendous support of their teams leading the push to get them through the veterans committee, which led up to their elections. The Wilpons, devotees of everythingBrooklyn, have not made this more of an issue since taking ownership of the team.

Realistically, Hodges is on the border statistically as an offensive player.  Injuries limited the end of his career, keeping him at 370 home runs, short of the 400 that was a magic number of sorts for players of his era.  Playing in a stadium that favored left-handed hitters for most of his career, his reputation as a clutch hitter was deserved.

While his post-season history has on it one of the worst post-seasons ever (an 0-21 in 1952) he bounced back to post solid numbers in 1953, 1955, 1956 and 1959, raising his career post-season average to .267.

Few in baseball were ever held in as high esteem as a person as Hodges, both as a player and a manager. Brooklynfans flocked to their churches to pray for him during his slump in the 1952 Series, which inspired the title of a best selling book, Praying For Gil Hodges.

As a manager, he took over a franchise that epitomized ineptitude, and won a pennant in his second year, was over .500 three of his four years as manager, and finished with a .530 winning percentage as Mets manager overall.  He inspired such respect that Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver still refers to him as Mr. Hodges when speaking of the ’69 Mets.

The reality is, baseball needs to induct Hodges as soon as possible.  While his 370 home runs are no longer eye-popping in comparison to the numbers of Rafael Palmiero and Mark McGuire, the contrasts between those modern sluggers and Hodges could not be greater.  No suggestion of steroids, amphetamines, corked bats, or cheating of any kind where Hodges was concerned.

If Joe Morgan is truly as outraged by the modern player and the influences of performance enhancing substances, then he should join Seaver in championing Hodges inclusion.  The Hall could use a man whose numbers are untainted by suspicion, whose character is unquestioned.

Offensively, Hodges numbers are on par with Snider, Cepeda and a more modern contemporary, Tony Perez.  Defensively, Hodges is to first base what Ozzie Smith is to shortstop, Bill Mazeroski to second base, Brooks Robinson to third – all Hall of Famers, while a far superior offensive player.

So why is he missing from the Hall?

When Shaun Clancy was looking for a name for the midtown bar he was about to take over, he wanted something that captured his vision for the establishment: an Irish bar with a baseball attitude.

He invited 25 buddies over for brainstorming over some beverages. After a couple of hours produced a list of Irish-sounding names, a few frontrunners emerged, including McGreevy’s, an homage to the famed “Royal Rooters” of Boston more than a century ago. But none seemed to fit just right for Clancy, who rejected his own name because numerous other restaurants in New York had the moniker.

Then the answer literally walked through the door.

The Ireland-born Clancy, who literally made a beeline for Yankee Stadium on the day he arrived in the U.S. in 1991, had met Arthur “Red” Foley, longtime Daily News writer and official scorer at New York baseball games for decades, through some of his baseball friends like Gene Michael and Tommy John, and, enamored with the history of the game and Foley’s connection to it, had become close to the man who had spent many nights at Toots Shor’s, the legendary “in place” for sports heroes in years past.

The 18 W. 33rd St. location, which had had numerous names and themes since opening in 1913, some more successful than others, was officially re-christened” Foley’s” in 2004.

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Foley’s NY is also the home of “Baseball Digest TV” and will be the site of an MLB TweetUp on Thursday, Nov. 10 from 4pm-7pm. Watch us tape the show, and then hang out to talk Hot Stove!

He’s taller then Tom Cruise. Well, at least the character Cruise played in Jerry Maguire. He’d also rather wear jeans then suits, like Robert Wuhl did in Arli$$.

Meet real-life agent Chris Leible, who represents one of the most popular players in Mets history; Jose Reyes.

Leible, a product of Glen Rock, NJ, got his start in the sports industry as an intern, working for the New York Mets.

“I worked for their scouting department and helped coordinate reports for them,” Leible said. “I handled just about anything and everything that was necessary.”

Results were positive. Leible would learn more of the system and also get to know many players as they moved through the ranks. He would also get to work with and learn from Roland Johnson, the Mets former Director of Scouting.

“Roland is a pure baseball guy,” said Leible. “(He) had a great sense for the game and people, he taught me a great deal.”

Getting to know the players and how the system worked would be beneficial to Leible, but things would change dramatically. There were changes afoot in the Mets front office, Leible found himself, a man without an island.

“They made some moves, and well, at that point I was doing anything to stay on board,” he said. “It got so bad, I ended up cleaning the closets in the bowels of Shea.”

Shortly thereafter, the Mets had a hole in their public relations department and Chris stepped up to the plate, and started working with long time Media Relations people like Shannon Dalton and head man Jay Horwitz.”

Leible would spend the rest of his time with the Mets in the PR department honing his people skills. It was here also that Leible actually began to see his relationships build between players and the team.

“I got to know many of the players very well; John Franco, Mike Piazza, Robin Ventura, John Olerud and Edgardo Alfonzo among others became friends.” he said. “Through them I got to see how things worked with their agents as well.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that being an agent fascinated me”.

Leible’s thoughts as a teen were always to become a player representative. Well, that is after he figured out he wasn’t going to become the next Darryl Strawberry.

“Darryl was always my favorite player,” he said. “I still emulate his swing on the softball field.”

***

In the Fall of 1999, the relationships Chris had built with his days in the minors and learning how the interaction of a player and an agent gave way to an exciting opportunity. Peter Greenberg approached Chris about going to work for him and his brother Edward.

“The job entailed me doing public relations and marketing for them,” he said. “Actually it was about two weeks into the position and I was tossed right into the fire, I was doing a bit of everything”.

In January of 2000, Chris was certified by the Players Associations and realized his thoughts of being a full time agent were coming true. Now an average day for Leible can be spent from negotiating contracts to fielding questions from the media on a deal yet to be.

In today’s baseball business, many feel that players work for the agents and that was something Chris never wanted to become.

“Our clients are the boss, they dictate to us what they want, because when it comes to contracts, they are the ones that have to live that life.” he said. “I always felt that I wanted to treat our clients with respect that they deserve”.

Leible also stresses that he felt that going that extra mile for a player is just built in his nature.

In 2007, Greenberg and Associates were named by Forbes Magazine as the premiere agents in sports.

“To be recognized on that level and to be part of it, is very fulfilling”

***

The big deals can be thrilling, but so can the samller ones.

“I have to share a story,” Leible said. “I wasn’t supposed to know or even find out, but on Blackberry there was a message posted by one of our clients, that I didnt even know he put out there.”

Turns out Ozzie Chavez, a independent league infielder who through the help of Leible had just secured a job in the Phillies organization had written, “With God and Chris, all things are possible.”

“To say I wasn’t humbled is an understatement, to me that means more than any big contract or huge endorsement.” Leible said.

Did you say happen to say big contracts? Well the affable, Leible has been involved with several large deals. The Johan Santana deal with the Mets for one example, was a great deal of work, that required a lot of energy and patience.

“I believe when it comes to large contracts, you really have to know your client and being able to understand what works for them.” Leible said. “I always promised myself that Id put as much energy into every one of our clients.”

A memorable moment in the life of the Leible the young agent came at his first arbitration hearing.

“Brian Hunter,” Leible blurts out quickly, referring to the former outfielder for the Braves, Reds and Mariners among other clubs. “When I got the news, that we won, I was more excited than he was, I think. That was a hard fought case and we had put alot of time and effort into it.”

Going into a arbitration hearing can be tough and very stressful, Leible admitted. Noting that Ken Forsch, the former hurler and assistant GM along with Wayne Krivsky, also once a general manager “who really helped turn the Reds around” as two formidable adversaries.

The fall and winter ahead for Leible and Greenberg Associates figures to be a busy one. They are the agents for that shortstop guy on the Mets. You know, the National League batting champion.

Jose Reyes figures to be the one of the most pursed free agents on the market this
off-season.

“I think Jose is one of those rare players that feeds off the energy of the fans, he loves the fans here in New York and I believe that feeling is mutual.” Leible said. “Jose also has a keen sense of his history here with the Mets, he’d love to be a Met for life.

“Time will tell.”

When pressed, Chris stated that he really doesn’t have a sense of where Jose will sign for 2012 and beyond.

“We’re going into it with eyes wide open, His first choice has always been to stay here with the Mets.”

Chris’s titles have also expanded on a personal level, as he is godfather to two of Reyes’ daughters. And the hot stove this season will also be producing some late nights and early mornings for Leible as he recently became a Dad for the first time. Cane Leible made his debut just several weeks ago.

“I’ve already got Santana ready to teach him how to throw, (Bobby) Abreu set to school him on developing a great eye and Jose (Reyes) teaching him how to run.”

The honor was also reciprocated as Leible asked Jose to be the godfather to Cane. They say it takes a village to raise a child, Cane already has an all-Star team teaching him the game and an All-Star agent Dad to represent him.

To Read More about the Mets and the rest of New York baseball’s Past Present and Future, Download a Free Copy of the Fall 2011 Issue of Gotham Baseball Magazine!