by Before I begin, let me just say that I’m honored to have folks like Gary Armida, Shai Kushner and Mets Daddy on board as fellow writers here on GothamBaseball.com. It’s an exciting time for GB, and it’s so very cool that the band is getting back together.
It was way easier to get these guys back than it was Murph and the Magic Tones, and I didn’t have to resort to blasphemy or ruin dinner
On Saturday, July 20, I’ll be attending the Queens Baseball Convention, run by my friends Keith Blacknick and Dan Twohig.
I am pleased to say that this year’s event is sold out, and I am looking forward to hosting this year’s “State of the Mets” panel once again.
The first get-together was in 2013, and it wasn’t called the QBC back then. Rather it was The Mets Police Awards, and yours truly was named “Gunslinger of the Year.”
Now a few words about that; I campaigned hard for that award, and I was damn proud to win it. I should also mention that the award has never again been handed out.
Pretty, pretty, good.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about that event is how it has transformed into this wonderful event called the QBC, and how this year’s event sold out with a week to go!
Keith and Dan have worked so hard on this event the past few years, assisted by a wonderful group of volunteers, and they deserve all of the credit in the world. I have to admit, when they were forced to cancel the 2016 event, I never thought I’d see the QBC again, and this year, it’s sold out.
Awesome.
Anyway, as far as I am concerned, this year’s panel has some new faces, Joe DeMayo (@PSLtoFlushing) will be joining SOTM panel for the first time. I asked Joe to be a part of the panel because I consider his coverage of the Mets farm system and his evaluation of the club’s prospects to be the best I have encountered. I enjoy our daily interactions on Twitter, even the ones that get heated.
Rich Countinho (@coutinho9 ) is no stranger to Mets fans, and he’s been covering the team for almost as long as I have been rooting for them. He covers the Mets for 98.7 ESPN and FiOS1, and his thirty years of writing about baseball is a major reason why I invited him to be part of this year’s panel. Rich is also the author of Press Box Revolution
Returning to this year’s panel is WOR’s Pete McCarthy (@PeteyMacWOR). Pete, the host of the 710 WOR Sports Zone (weeknights 6-9) and Mets On-Deck, and has been a friend for many years. He’s also been a panelist for SOTM since it started.
Last, but certainly not least is Matt Cerrone (@matthewcerrone), who is marking his 15th season writing for Metsblog.com. Another panelist since the beginning of the QBC for me, Matt has been both a loyal friend and a tremendous colleague over the years.
This year’s “State of the Mets” will be one to remember, and hope to see you there.
Here’s a look at some “State of The Mets” panels from the last few years:
.
