Saturday, June 21st 2008, 9:44 PM
Kennedy/AP Eagles QB Donovan McNabb knows what it's like to deal with unhappy Drew Rosenhaus clients a season after appearing in the Super Bowl.
Donovan McNabb knows how hard it is to make it back to the Super Bowl the season after playing in one.
And he knows just how much more difficult that can be while dealing with super agent Drew Rosenhaus and one of his unhappy clients.
If anyone knows the kind of potential drama the Giants face this summer with disgruntled Rosenhaus players Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress, it's McNabb.
"It is something that won't die down depending on how everyone handles it," McNabb said. "I don't know if it will tear them apart. They have enough guys in the locker room that they won't have to worry about it. But when people start taking sides, that is when it becomes a problem. That was definitely a major problem with what happened to us."
After McNabb led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2005, the quarterback watched Terrell Owens, a Rosenhaus client, shred the Eagles with his contract demands and ego.
Wanting a new contract, Owens skipped a three-day minicamp and later got into a heated argument with head coach Andy Reid before clashing with McNabb and dividing the Eagles' locker room and the city of Philadelphia.
Now McNabb watches from afar as Shockey and Burress already have threatened the Giants' Super Bowl harmony. Both players staged protests at minicamp a week and a half ago. Shockey, who is still recovering from a broken leg, remained in the training room during practices, annoying head coach Tom Coughlin. The tight end, who is upset with his role and contract and would welcome a trade, also got into a shouting match with GM Jerry Reese.
Meanwhile, Burress revealed that he is upset with Giants management for not reworking his contract and watched all the practices from the sideline.
While the Giants' drama isn't as nasty as Owens' and McNabb's feud, at least not yet, the Eagles quarterback said Big Blue will need strong leadership to quell a potentially explosive situation.
"A lot of people learned from my situation and know how to handle it differently," McNabb said. "I tried to do the right things. When it comes to business situations, it's tough. I think the Giants will try to keep it low-key and keep it under wraps. I am anxious to see how it all plays out."
The wide receiver-starved McNabb would probably advise the Giants and Reese to pay Burress.
"Plax is one of the top wide receivers in the NFL," McNabb said. "He wants to be paid and all these wide receivers are getting new contracts."
McNabb, who said his throwing arm is fine after he sat out Eagles' minicamp with shoulder tendinitis, is thrilled that he no longer has to face one of the top defensive ends of all time in Michael Strahan. The quarterback was sacked 12 times in a 16-3 loss at Giants Stadium last year.
"Michael and I have had some great battles," McNabb said. "What a better way to go out — win the Super Bowl and walk away. He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer, especially with as many sacks as I have given him over the last eight years." With Strahan's retirement and the Shockey and Burress predicaments, the Giants' title defense may be off to a rocky start. But McNabb learned that if there is a team that can handle adversity, it's the Giants.
"It is not how you start but how you finish," McNabb said of the Giants' run last year. "You want to go into the playoffs playing the best. The Giants definitely did that."
Larry Brooks writes
June 22, 2008 -- OTTAWA - This threat to take the Rangers away from Jim Dolan isn't about legalities. This isn't even about the Garden suing the NHL. Not really. Rather, this is about Dolan and the Garden challenging the despotic reign of Gary Bettman just the way Bob Goodenow had the temerity to do so.
And we all know what ultimately happened to Goodenow.
Three years following the lockout, essentially every cent of the NHL's revenue increase is owed to dramatically escalating ticket prices and the surging Canadian dollar. The individual member clubs still produce more than 90 percent of the league's revenue.
In a diatribe delivered to the Board of Governors on Wednesday, Bettman had the gall to blame the lawsuit that was filed in September for the league's inability to undertake marketing and promotional initiatives. It was, we're told, a classic sidewinder of a stump speech that was delivered after the Rangers contingent had been asked to leave the room.
Once, everything was Goodenow's fault. Now, it's all on Dolan.
Dolan, whose team is the only US-based club among the NHL's top six revenue-producers, sent a letter to the other 29 governors in conjunction with the Garden's suit in which the owner called out Bettman for his incompetence in marketing the game and in growing revenues.
That letter, which was obtained by The Post, and portions of which were printed in this space, was delivered in late September. Now, after a nine-month gestation period, the commissioner has given birth to a peculiar movement that, if successful, would leave the NHL without a New York team.
Bettman is claiming that, with a three-quarters vote of the Board to discipline Dolan that would follow a hearing, he not only has the power to remove Dolan and sell the team, but essentially has the authority to do whatever he pleases with the Rangers franchise.
And exactly where does Bettman think the Rangers will play if he strips Dolan and the Garden of ownership? At Rye Playland?
This isn't about Cablevision. This isn't about Isiah Thomas. Hey, maybe it is about Thomas. Maybe Bettman has volunteered to carry David Stern's water for him and the NBA. Stranger things have happened; stranger things like the vindictive commissioner of the NHL going public with a threat to take control of the league's flagship American franchise.
In the absence of agreements with any of the European franchises, the NHL has maintained that the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) prohibits clubs from individually negotiating transfer fees in order to bring players to North America. But that's not so.The NHLPA has not agreed to any restrictions regarding the negotiation of transfer fees for the 2008-09 season. Indeed, Slap Shots has learned the union specifically informed the league on May 17 that it would permit unilaterally imposed restrictions for 2008-09.
As such, there is no restriction, nothing in the CBA, no agreement between the NHL and NHLPA that would, for instance, prohibit the Rangers from negotiating with Omsk to buy Alexei Cherepanov out of the final season of his contract and bring him to New York next season.
Sean Avery lived with Brett Hull and his wife when they were teammates in Detroit in 2001-02 and formed a mutual admiration society, one loudmouth to another.
You can be assured that Hull, co-GM of the Stars, will be in on Avery big-time if Fashion Show 16 hits the open market.
Two NHL general managers have told Slap Shots that Evgeni Malkin has a five-year, $50M cash offer from a Russian team that should be taken very, very seriously.
Penguins, we're told, are preparing an offer of approximately $7.5M per to keep Marian Hossa from testing the market. Sources indicate he'll accept. Pittsburgh is also attempting to keep Brooks Orpik, though an initial offer in the $3.3M range isn't going to be enough.
Though Bryan McCabe's agent is on the record stating the Toronto defenseman will not waive his no-trade clause, there's a strong belief he will do so if the Islanders engage the Maple Leafs, which they may well do within the next three weeks.
Here's a dark-horse free agent possibility for the Rangers if Plan A and Plan B fall through: Miro Satan.
Brian Rolston, who will be the subject of intense competition between the Rangers and Devils should he reach unrestricted free agency, seems headed for the market. Should the Blueshirts add Rolston, a solid second-line winger who can run the power play and bomb from the point, that would alleviate the need to get a defenseman who can fill that role.
OTTAWA - Islanders general manager Garth Snow amassed a staggering 12 picks in rounds two through six on the second day of the NHL draft Saturday at Scotiabank Place to re-stock the organization's depleted farm system. But while his haul included highly touted Russian power forward Kirill Petrov, it came as an anticlimax to his shocking decision to trade down from the No. 5 spot Friday night.
Snow and amateur scouting director Ryan Jankowski insisted theirs was more than a numbers game, that No. 9 overall pick Josh Bailey was the guy they wanted all along if they were unable to get one of the top three offensive defensemen chosen 2-3-4 after No. 1 center Steve Stamkos. In the end, they walked away with the biggest stack of chips, but the question that lingers is how many of their 13 picks will turn into blue chips?
There's no doubt Snow improved the odds of success for the Islanders. They had nine of the first 102 picks in the draft, including three in each of the second and third rounds, and 13 of the first 175 to finish. Petrov is under contract for the next two seasons in Russia, but if he ever comes to the NHL, Snow said the Isles will be getting a player who is a "first-round talent, top 15 to top 20," who fell because of the lack of a transfer agreement with Russia.
Still, if Snow misses on Bailey and if any of the four players he passed in the first round -- defenseman Luke Schenn and forwards Nikita Filatov, Colin Wilson and Mikkel Boedker -- turn into superstars, he'll never hear the end of it from Isles fans.
Explaining his determination to improve the talent level in the system, Snow said, "There was a method to the madness, so to speak. We not only got a player in the first round that we thought highly of, but we got to re-stock our prospect group. It's a good thing. It's crucial to have a full cupboard of prospects."
By trading down to No. 7 with Toronto and then to No. 9 with Nashville, Snow began a process that ultimately added picks in the second, third and fourth rounds (via another trade Saturday) this year plus Toronto's second-round pick in 2009. But the price was cheap from the perspective of Snow's trading partners. Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher spent only two picks to grab Schenn, who figures to be a rock on the blue line for 15 years. It cost Nashville one pick to grab Wilson, a two-way center who was the strongest player at the NHL combine.
Snow paused when asked if he expected Filatov, who was taken sixth by Columbus, to be available at the seventh spot. Then he indicated with a shake of his head that Filatov wasn't his target. "Our objective at that point was to get the player we ended up getting," Snow said.
That decision was met with boos during the Islanders' draft party at Nassau Coliseum, but Snow defended himself by noting that Bailey's 96-point season with the Windsor Spitfires ranked second only to Stamkos' 105 points among draft-eligible players. "I like the fact that our player has hockey sense, the ability to put up great statistics, 96 points, and he was a leader on his team," Snow said. "We're happy with Josh Bailey. That's why we moved down."
Jankowski praised Bailey's vision, saying, "Detroit just won a championship with players who have hockey sense. I would say Josh is a top-three hockey-sense player of all the players in this year's draft."
They'd better be right.
June 21, 2008 -- OTTAWA - When the 20th overall selection of the NHL entry draft came up here last night, Garden owner Jim Dolan mounted the podium only to be intercepted by Gary Bettman, wrestled to the ground, and told that the Rangers were no longer part of his league.
Well, not really. Dolan is on vacation and did not attend the draft. And the Rangers did indeed make their selection. Not only that, they were delighted to grab skilled, offense-minded Oshawa defenseman Michael Del Zotto when their time came.
"The way this game is played now, you have to be able to think and move the puck," said director of player personnel Gordie Clark. "With Michael, the puck is on his stick, and it's gone.
"You need hockey sense. He has tremendous hockey sense. He has it figured out."
Del Zotto, who became the first 16-year-old defenseman to play in the Ontario Hockey League All-Star Classic in 2007, wears No. 4 because of Bobby Orr. The Rangers can dream, can't they?
"People would die to be in my shoes right now," Del Zotto said. "I know I have to work on the defensive part of my game, but I want to do whatever it takes this offseason and go into camp and do everything I can to try to make the team."
No one expects Del Zotto, who will turn 18 on Tuesday, to contend for a spot with the Rangers this year.
"He has some building up to do," Clark said of the 6-0, 210-pounder who ranked third among OHL defensemen with 63 points (16-47). "He has World Junior stuff coming up. It will be a couple of years."
The Rangers have used their first pick to select defensemen three times in the last four years, following Marc Staal (12th) in 2005 and Bobby Sanguinetti (21st) in 2006. Clark compared Del Zotto quite favorably to the offense-minded Sanguinetti, who is expected to play for Hartford this season.
"He's more refined at this age than Bobby," Clark said. "Bobby has gotten there, but [Del Zotto] is there now.
"He's got the head and the hands. He's a master running the power play from the point."
The knocks on Del Zotto are his skating and his defensive game. Clark swatted away those concerns.
"His skating is fine," Clark said. "Defensively he's fine. Believe me."
OHL defensemen went 2-3-4 in the draft after Tampa Bay selected center Steven Stamkos first overall. Drew Doughty went second to L.A., Zach Bogosian went third to Atlanta, and Alex Pietrangelo went fourth to St. Louis.
"These are stud defensemen, and they're all fairly close to playing," said Clark. "We were kidding around [at the table] that we'd love to have one of them, but if we were picking down there, we'd probably be gone."
Gone, much like Bettman wants Dolan.
June 21, 2008 -- OTTAWA - The Islanders apparently knew better than everybody else.
For in position with the fifth overall selection of the NHL Entry Draft to select either highly regarded shutdown defenseman Luke Schenn or the talented winger Nikita Filatov, GM Garth Snow and the committee traded their way to ninth overall, where they tabbed Windsor center Josh Bailey.
This selection may have been a feature of familiarity, as Bailey was a teammate of head coach Ted Nolan's son, Brandon.
"I don't know Ted, but I know who he is," said Bailey, a 6-foot-0, 192-pound pivot whom the Islanders interviewed on Long Island last week.
"I've heard a lot of good things about him.
"When they flew me in, it got me excited thinking I'd be drafted by them. I'm ecstatic."
In trading down with, first, Toronto to seventh overall, and then with Nashville to ninth overall, Snow added two second-round picks in this year's year draft and a third-round pick next year.
The Maple Leafs selected Schenn, who is expected to compete for a job this year, at five, while Columbus took Filatov with the sixth pick.
"Josh is the player we targeted from the beginning," Snow said. "He's a center who makes the players around him better, the type of center we need in our system.
"We kept trading down because we believed we could grab Josh at No. 9."
Bailey was second in the OHL in scoring behind first-overall selection Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay) with 96 points (29-67). He dedicated his selection to Mickey Renaud, the Windsor captain who collapsed at his home and died suddenly this spring.
"I'm dedicating this night to Mickey Renaud and his family," Bailey said. "I'm sure tonight he's looking down with a smile."
NEW YORK (TICKER) —The National Hockey League is threatening to strip Madison Square Garden of its ownership of the New York Rangers.
The league on Thursday filed a counterclaim against MSG in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against MSG seeking a declaration from the court to proceed with disciplinary against the Rangers’ ownership.
According to a WNBC report, the NHL wants to punish MSG for accusing the league of violating anti-trust laws. MSG has not yet commented on the NHL’s claim.
The league and the Rangers have feuded over control of the team’s web site. In September, MSG sued the NHL, saying it violated antitrust laws by monopolizing control of team promotions. However, a judge ruled in November that the league was within its right to take control of the web site.
In Thursday’s court filing, the league asked a judge to agree that MSG breached its contract by challenging NHL rules. Although it seems unlikely, the NHL could attempt to force MSG - which is headed by Cablevision chairman James Dolan - to sell the Rangers to another ownership group.
The NHL also is seeking compensatory damages for legal expenses incurred while fighting MSG’s lawsuit.
Two great things will happen if Dolan is forced to sell Rangers. One. Rangers will dominate the league for many years to come. Why because anyone can run this team better than Dolan. Two. By the success of the Rangers the NHL will become a better sport to market. Simple economics. If the team in your number one market is winning then people will watch. Fans=money. You all know how much I hate Bettmen but if he is able to force Dolan out who I hate even more I'll make the guy my best man. Ok maybe not but he'll go up a few spots on my list. Even above Curt Schilling. The only downside of the sale is possibly the Rangers would have to move out of MSG. More on this story as it goes on. It ain't over folks. I love hockey fights.
"ABINGDON, VIRGINIA (TICKER) —New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw remains in jail for an undisclosed
probation violation.
Bradshaw, 22, is serving a sentence at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail.
A spokesman for the jail told PA SportsTicker that said Bradshaw voluntarily checked himself into the facility Sunday. He also said Bradshaw will “serve a certain amount of time.”
Bradshaw was sentenced to two years probation in 2006 for a misdemeanor petty larceny charge while attending Marshall University. He was charged with stealing a PlayStation game from another student.
As a rookie last season, Bradshaw played in 12 games for the Super Bowl champion Giants, rushing for 190 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries."
When I first heard this today I was worried. We all know he has a checkered past. I'm glad after reading this that he is just paying a price for an old incident and that it was nothing new. I hope the kid continues to stay good because the future is bright for the kid in New York.
Updated: June 19, 2008, 1:18 PM ET
Not practicing at mandatory minicamp created an uproar, but Plaxico Burress thinks his contract situation will be peacefully resolved before next month's training camp.
The New York Giants wide receiver wants a new deal and he told WIP radio in Philadelphia on Tuesday that he thinks it will happen. Camp begins at the University at Albany on July 25.
"Honestly, I think my situation is going to be rectified before training camp," Burress said, according to NJ.com. "I'm not going to worry about it, but I did state that I was unhappy with my current situation with my contract. It'll be worked out."
Burress, who caught a game-winning 13-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining in the Super Bowl to give the Giants a 17-14 win over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots, has three years remaining on his six-year, $25 million deal. He will earn $3.25 million this year, $3.5 million in 2009 and $3.75 million in 2010.
"I don't want to go anywhere. I made that very evident," Burress told the radio station, according to NJ.com. "If I wanted to go somewhere else or if I didn't want to be there, I would have let that be known, too.
Moss, Owens and Walker have worn three different uniforms in their careers. Burress said he doesn't want that.
"I love the situation I'm in, I love the guys I play with, I love the city and I just love everything about me playing football up there," he told the station. "I just want to end my career there. I don't want to travel all around the globe trying to play football. I'll be 31 in August, so I just want to play my last five or six years there and end my career there and hopefully win another championship."
The Newark Star-Ledger is reporting that the Yankees have signed Sidney Ponson to a minor league contract.
The Yankees just announced that they have signed right-handed pitcher Sidney Ponson to a Triple-A contract. Presumably, this means Ponson will report to Scranton, but it would seem likely that he'd get a shot in the Yankees' major-league rotation soon.
Ponson was released by the Rangers on Monday, 10 days after being DFA'd for "disrespectful and adverse reactions to situations unbecoming of teammates." Ponson was 4-1 with a 3.88 ERA in 9 starts with the Rangers.
Haven't we've seen this before? Didn't we have him a couple of years ago? He sucked then and I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that he'll suck this time around. Where is Mr. Kennedy? Is Phil Hughes that far away from rejoining the rotation?
“My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century,” he told The Associated Press. “They need to grow up and join the 21st century. Am I (mad) about it? Yes. I’ve got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He’s going to be out. I don’t like that, and it’s about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s.
This is always a concern of American League teams when their pitchers have to run the bases and they’re not used to doing it. It’s not just us. It’s everybody. It probably should be a concern for National League owners, general managers and managers when their pitchers run the bases. Pitchers have enough to do without having to do that.”
Hank and I are on the same page. Are you?
Yankee ace Chien-Ming Wang may have pitched his last game of the regular season. Rounding third base he began to limp to home plate. It turned out after getting the MRI today that he suffered a sprained ligament in his ankle and a partial tear of a tendon in his foot. He has to wear a protective boot for 6 weeks. The good news is no surgery is needed but the down side is all baseball related activity is suspended for the duration. So now it turns a 6 week injury into a 10 week or more injury as he would have to get into baseball shape. To be even more blunt he would have to do spring training all over again then some rehab starts in the minors. Wang at 8-2 was well on his way to another 19 win season so to say that it leaves a very big hole to fill is not an understatement. Mussina who has been the American Leagues' best pitcher will have to continue to be outstanding. Andy Pettitte will have be an innings horse and continue to pitch solid. Joba will get a chance to make an impact on the rotation as the team will count on him even more now. Rasner who has been consistent will have to continue to be effective. Then if they can get Mr. Kennedy and the franchise Phil Hughes to get back to form I think they'll come out of this alright. The offense is finally where they need to be. People are healthy and the team is on fire. One way or another this team will find out about themselves in the next few weeks.
Fenway Park's food stands flunked city health inspections on more than a dozen health and safety measurements on Red Sox opening day April 8, from storing food at unsafe temperatures to failing to clean food preparation counters.
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The concession operator's response to the city's findings was so slow that the city threatened at a municipal court hearing to shut down Fenway Park's food stands if the problems were not fixed. Ultimately, 19 home games passed, and thousands of $4 hot dogs and $6 Italian sausages passed across the counters before the Red Sox concession stands finally passed a city health inspection on May 16.
Red Sox officials said the team was not informed of the violations by its food vendor, Aramark, when they occurred and did not learn of the numerous health and safety issues until it was informed by the Globe yesterday.
"We have made it clear to Aramark that we want to be informed immediately when any issues related to the Division of Health occur from this point going forward," Red Sox chief operating officer Mike Dee said in an interview.
The team's agreement with Aramark requires such notification, a team official said.
In the initial visit, on April 1, inspectors found sausages thawing in stagnant water, employees handling raw burgers without changing their gloves, and rodent droppings underneath service counters, city records show.
"Those are serious violations," said Kathleen MacVarish, a Boston University clinical assistant professor of environmental health who worked for two decades in state and local public health departments as an inspector.
She said it was especially troubling that many of the same issues, except for the rodent droppings, were identified in the April 8 opening day reinspection.
Red Sox and Aramark officials pointed out that the first health inspection occurred while the park was undergoing major renovations and that Opening Day inspection came when the park still was fixing kinks with its equipment.
In one instance, a breaker operating a refrigerator had tripped, leading to a major violation of food being stored at the wrong temperature. All the food in the refrigerator was immediately thrown out, said Aramark's regional vice president, Rich Roper.
"The building was still under construction at the time, and I did not know that was going to be an actual inspection," he said of the April 1 visit. "I asked them if they could come back.
"We tried our best in the nine days before they came back for the next inspection," he added.However, the city's April 8 follow-up identified 15 violations of the state sanitary code, including three that were deemed critical and two that pose a danger of food poisoning.
Fans streaming into the park for yesterday's home game were upset to learn that the concession stands had been cited.
"I eat Fenway Franks all the time, and I had no idea," said Katherine Fleischhasker, a 24-year-old fan from Somerville. "It's kind of upsetting."
"I brought $25 with me, which will probably only get me something like a hot dog and a Coke, and I would hope they would at least be clean," said Dan Curran, 18, of Wenham.
The inspection reports paint an unsettling portrait of the Fenway dining experience.
One food stand was cited for "sausages thawing in stagnant water" and employees eating in a back kitchen. Another was cited for having "a large amount of food crumbs and rodent droppings under the pizza oven," and soiled sinks. Still another had "rodent droppings along floor and inside the hole in the wall" and "rodent droppings underneath the service counter."
One vendor was cited for a "black moldlike substance" on the inside of a refrigerator, soiled frialator cabinets," "rodent droppings throughout the stand," and a sink that was not set up to wash, rinse, and sanitize. Another was ordered to "remove foul odor from stand" and to "clean drains to remove odor."
The Fenway food warehouse racked up a page and a half of violations, including paper products stored within 6 inches of the ground and rodent droppings on boxes of cutlery.
While the records do not reflect a clean inspection report until May 16, Roper said the problems were fixed immediately.
"There was a time space in between inspections, but we certainly did not wait to react to any of the violations," he said.
Generally, when city inspectors find critical violations at a restaurant, they return the following day to see whether they have been corrected.
Tom Goodfellow, assistant commissioner of inspectional services, said inspectors are limited to game days at Fenway Park.
"If they've gone on a road trip, it makes no sense to do a reinspection" the next day, he said.
While the problems were serious, they do not rise to the level of violations that should force a city to immediately temporarily shut down an establishment, said MacVarish. The city of Boston has suspended permits for nearly 40 restaurants in the last three months.
Many of the suspensions were issued during the Financial District water main break last month that forced many restaurants to close because of a gas service interruption.
"I know people think health inspectors close restaurants all the time, but it's really a very serious matter and it's not always necessary," she said. "I wouldn't have considered closing them, even on a recheck."
She said hauling Aramark into a hearing, as the city did, was the appropriate step.
Mayoral spokeswoman Dorothy Joyce said Fenway Park was not treated differently from other establishments.
"We work closely with Fenway and all of our vendors to make sure they are in compliance with all the codes of the city of Boston," Joyce said.
Apparently, a controversial blog entry never dies. After practice yesterday at Staples Center, Bryant talked about the infamous Schilling blog entry that portrayed the Lakers guard in a poor light. Schilling described how Bryant berated teammates during Game 2 of the NBA Finals in Boston.
"You're asking for my response to it?" said Bryant. "Go, Yankees."
Then Bryant defended his leadership and added, "I know my team. After the time of all those beeps, we almost pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in history. It seemed to motivate them pretty well.
"We all have thick skin around here on the team. We're brutally honest with each other. Our team is built for that. We all love it."
Go Yankees. Priceless. In other words Curt. Go Fuck yourself. I've been saying this for years. I absolutely hate Curt Schilling. He has an opinion for everything. He wants everything to go the way of the world according to Curt. Everyone is entitled to my opinion and I'm certainly using this forum to express mine but I rarely go out of my way to go after players. The players I do go after are players on teams that rival my favorites. So it is understandable. He goes out of his way to pick fights with other professional athletes in other sports. Sports he knows nothing about. Curt just shut the fuck up and worry about how the Yankees are going to shell you when or if you come back. Watch the video.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — As the Giants took the field for the first time in the post-Michael Strahan era, it was the absence of two other stars that threatened the team’s harmony and quickly dimmed its championship glow.
Receiver Plaxico Burress watched the first practice of the three-day minicamp from the sideline, and he later said that he was plenty healthy to play but would not practice without a new contract. Although he has three years left on the deal he signed in 2005, he has seen other top receivers sign more lucrative deals this off-season.
Tight end Jeremy Shockey, who missed the Super Bowl run with a broken leg and asked for a trade this off-season, came to the minicamp but stayed indoors while other injured players watched workouts from the practice field sideline.
The Giants had hoped that their biggest issue heading toward training camp next month was in replacing Strahan, the defensive end who retired Tuesday after 15 seasons. That hope lasted about 24 hours.
The bigger issues, apparently, are Burress and Shockey, two close friends who threaten to put a two-pronged wedge through the lingering feel-good aftermath of the Giants’ Super Bowl victory in February. If nothing else, they served as a blunt reminder that the first game of 2008 is now closer than the last game of the 2007 season.
Burress gave little inkling of his displeasure until he was asked Wednesday whether he might be able to take part in any of the workouts this week. It was presumed he was not practicing because he was rehabilitating the sore ankles that limited his practice time last season, and Coach Tom Coughlin said after the morning workout that Burress was resting a sore knee.
That tale was unraveled minutes later.
“Me and my agent are trying to get a deal done for the future, so that I can remain a New York Giant,” Burress said. “We’re just not happy with the way things are going right now. That’s basically the main reason why I’m not out there.”
Reporters did a double-take. Burress was asked if he was healthy enough to practice.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “I’m choosing not to participate.”
He suggested that he would strongly consider missing training camp in a contract dispute. Drew Rosenhaus, the agent for Burress and Shockey, acknowledged that Burress was seeking a new deal.
“We are in discussions with the Giants as it relates to a contract extension for Plaxico, and we are hopeful of getting something worked out here in the near future,” Rosenhaus said.
The Giants’ general manager, Jerry Reese, declined to comment.
Earlier this month, Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens agreed to a contract extension designed to keep him in Dallas through 2011. His deal is worth a reported $34 million and includes a $12.9 million signing bonus. This spring, the Patriots re-signed receiver Randy Moss for three years and $27 million, including a $12 million signing bonus. And the Raiders signed Javon Walker for six years and $55 million, including a reported $16 million guaranteed.
In 2005, after five seasons with the Steelers, Burress signed a six-year contract with the Giants worth $25 million, including slightly more than $8 million in bonus money. He is scheduled to make a combined $10.5 million in base salary that is not guaranteed over the next three years: $3.25 million this season, $3.5 million in 2009 and $3.75 in 2010.
Burress led the Giants last season with 70 catches for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns in the regular season. He caught the winning touchdown pass in the 17-14 Super Bowl victory over the Patriots and was widely lauded for playing most of the season on sore ankles. He will turn 31 on Aug. 12 and is entering his ninth season.
“We’ve been trying to handle this with class; we’ve been trying to handle it the right way,” Burress said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to stand up for what’s right.”
The more predictable ripple to minicamp arrived in the form of Shockey, the volatile star tight end. After the morning practice, Coughlin was asked if there was a reason for Shockey to be the only player not outside with the team.
“No, not really,” Coughlin said.
Asked if Shockey was supposed to be outside with teammates, Coughlin added, “That is between Shockey and I.”
Coughlin said his only communication with Shockey this off-season was through a few text messages. Through a team spokesman, Shockey declined to speak with reporters.
“Jeremy has stated his position that any discussions of his relationship with the team is something that he wants to keep between us and the club,” Rosenhaus said.
Shockey has long been unhappy with his role in the team’s offense, and he senses that the team feels it might be better off without him. He broke his fibula and injured his ankle in the 14th game of the season and was placed on injured reserve.
He watched the Super Bowl from a luxury box but did not attend the victory parade in Manhattan or the rally at Giants Stadium. He also did not attend the recent ceremony at which team members received Super Bowl rings.
EXTRA POINTS
Justin Tuck assumed Strahan’s spot at left defensive end during drills. Mathias Kiwanuka, the end-turned-linebacker, played at strong-side linebacker. ...The injury list made it feel like mid-November, not mid-June. Among those not practicing were linebackers Danny Clark (hernia) and Gerris Wilkinson (knee), who may battle for the starting spot vacated by Kawika Mitchell, who left for the Bills. Chase Blackburn played in that spot. Cornerbacks Corey Webster (quadriceps) and Sam Madison (hernia) also sat out. Aaron Ross and Kevin Dockery lined up with the first team.
My take on this is that the Giants should give Plax a new contract and pay him to the level of the highest paid receivers. He played all year with his ankle injury and scored the winning touch down in the Super Bowl. I believe most Giants' fans would agree. He should get his money. Shockey on the other hand is starting to piss me off. We get it. You're upset that everyone is saying we don't need you. You're upset because you're not relevant anymore. You're upset because your attitude doesn't get you a free pass anymore. Well you don't have to remind us of this everyday. You are like a spoiled brat. All you do is bitch and moan. You want the respect back. You don't sit out of practice. The way to earn back the respect is to show you want to be there. You should be the hardest working player in camp. You should be involved in every drill that you can be. You should be calling for extra practice. You should be trying to stay after practice soaking up film. Basically you should be working so hard that coach Coughlin has to yell at you to stop. Then you will earn our respect back. You know what I'll make it easier. Start off by doing the bare minimum. All you have to do is outwork Kevin Boss who right now is my starting Tight End. That is all the motivation you need. This whole crap is a ploy by Shock and agent Drew Rosendouche-bag to get Shock traded. It may work but for right now you are still a Giant and you should be with the team. Stay tuned Giant fans. This is just the beginning.
From NorthJersey.com
Thieves broke into a jewelry company over the weekend and stole up to $2 million in gold, gems and other valuables, including Super Bowl rings made for New York Giants staff members, authorities said.
The thieves disabled the alarm system at E.A. Dion Inc., cut a hole in the roof and made off with a safe that weighed at least 1,000 pounds.
The loss was discovered Sunday by a Dion employee, who went to the business when she was unable to access her work e-mail from home, apparently because phone lines had been cut. The heist could have taken place at any time over the weekend, Sgt. Jim Keane said Wednesday.
The Super Bowl rings made by the company were to be given to the Giants staff members to commemorate the team's win over the New England Patriots, team spokesman Pat Hanlon said.
The players and coaches had already received their rings last month. The staffers were to receive identical ones — white gold rings with the "NY" logo is set in diamonds and "World Champions" emblazoned in raised letters. They were designed by Tiffany and Co. and have a retail value at $25,000 each, the team said.
The company does not discuss specific customer's orders, President Edward Dion Jr. said.
"We've talked to our major customers and let them know what happened, and I am confident we'll be able to fulfill our orders," he said.
The family-owned company, which has been in business for 40 years, was back up running at full speed and re-evaluating security, Dion said.
The case remains under investigation by Attleboro police with assistance from the FBI.
The Stray-uligy. Well not exactly. Tho it does feel like a sad occasion and it is when one of your favorite players retire we should all sit back and smile. He may never put on the jersey again for us but he won't be far either. He will be on t.v. in some capacity. To say that the Giants will never be able to replace a Michael Strahan is a understatement. His leadership and play on the field is one of a kind. I have no doubt that Osi, Tuck and Kiwi will step it up and as long as they are healthy will bring almost the same kind of pass rush that won them a Super Bowl. I asked my friends to give me a Strahan comment. Here is a few of them. Bret said "My heart is heavy and full of joy. For I love a man for what he did on the field and off it. He will be missed but always, ALWAYS eternally loved." I wonder if Tiki can feel that way. Don't think so. Nick said "WE STOMPED YOU OUT!!!" Jess said "go fist yourself!!! -Strahan to Coughlin on practicing in the 90-plus degree heat in training camp." Ok maybe he didn't say it but then again maybe he did. Then he is voted captain. How many players can get away with that? I have to say my favorite Strahan moment was last year. Yes winning the Super Bowl had a lot to do with that but just seeing the fun that he was having reminded us and his team that it is still a game. As fans and players we all tend to get caught up in the heat of the moment allowing us to be consumed by the notion that if our team loses then life is over as we know it. Strahan was able to put all that to the side and enjoy the game for what it is. A game. His team rallied on that and went out and played stress free. It won them the Super Bowl as the team with nothing to lose. Nothing to lose. At that time they did have nothing to lose now it turns out that they lost their leader. They lost their heart. They lost their identity. I'm sure Strahan being a Giant for life will make himself available to help his team if needed but as an everyday leader it now falls to Eli Manning. He is going to have to be the face of the organization now. He can't hide behind Strahan anymore. I think he is ready. He has the ring to back whatever he has to say up. Well other than seeing Strahan dominate t.v. there really is only two things left to do. Retire his jersey and welcome him to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker)—With a Super Bowl ring on his finger and a place in the Hall of Fame all but secured, Michael Strahan called it quits following a record-setting career with the New York Giants.
Strahan retired Monday morning, ending a 15-year career spent exclusively with the Giants.
Strahan’s retirement, initially reported by FOXSports.com, was confirmed by Giants head coach Tom Coughlin after a team workout.
“I’m just finding out about it,” Coughlin told reporters. “Let me get organized.”
Strahan, 36, flirted with retirement last summer before returning to the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants. The defensive end told FOXSports.com that he wanted to decide on his future prior to the beginning of Giants’ mini-camp.
“It was important that my teammates knew which way I was going before they got on the field to start the work to defend our title,” said Strahan, the Giants’ all-time leader in sacks. “It’s time. I’m done.”
After spearheading a ferocious defense that helped upset the then-undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, Strahan did not indicate this past February if he would return for his 16th season with the Giants.
But just over four months later, Strahan has arrived at a final decision.
“It’s a tough decision,” he told FOXSports.com. “But I wanted to be fair to the Giants and fair to my teammates.”
A four-time All Pro, Strahan appeared in 216 career games - all with the Giants. The future Hall of Famer ranks fifth all-time with 141 1/2 career sacks.
Strahan admitted last summer that he was mulling retirement and missed nearly all of training camp before deciding to play. The seven-time Pro Bowler got off to a slow start before ultimately enjoying a successful regular season, recording nine sacks in 16 games.
The ensuing postseason proved vindicating for the verbose Strahan, who came up short in his bid for a Super Bowl ring in his six previous playoff appearances.
Strahan collected 22 tackles and two sacks - including one in the Super Bowl - during New York’s improbable title run, silencing his numerous critics by capping his successful career with a long-awaited championship.
A second-round draft selection in 1993, Strahan led the NFL in sacks twice (2001, 2003) and recorded double-digit sacks in six different seasons. He rewrote the NFL record book in 2001, when he collected a single-season record 22 1/2 sacks.
Following a stellar 2003 campaign in which he led the league with 18 1/2 sacks, Strahan’s career took a sour turn in 2004 - when he missed the final eight games with a torn pectoral muscle.
After playing the entire 2005 season and finishing with 11 1/2 sacks, Strahan missed seven games in 2006 due to a foot injury. The Houston native also clashed with teammate Plaxico Burress and the New York media at one point during the 2006 campaign, leading to speculation that his days with the Giants could be numbered.
But despite his prolonged holdout last summer, Strahan was voted as a team co-captain by the Giants prior to last season, a vote of confidence that seemed to spur him toward another solid season.
Led by Strahan, New York’s defense paced the NFL with 53 sacks this past season. The Giants also recorded eight sacks during the postseason, including five against Tom Brady in the Super Bowl.
I'm still in shock because even though we all knew it was coming no one likes to see their heroes retire. We expect them to play on forever. Like my buddy Bret said. It feels like losing a close family member to cancer. You knew it was coming but it still shocks you when the time comes. Well said. He will be missed perhaps more than any other Giant in the history of the franchise purely for the reason that he still has more to give. Other players left when it was time or past their time. Not too many left with more to give. Strahan still has another 2 or 3 seasons left. Like other athletes throughout sports. The storybook ending loomed to be too good to ignore. The idea of leaving on top is what all athletes crave. To leave as the best is something to be proud of. I guess in Mike's mind he felt he has nothing left to give. I wish him the best in his new career in sports television. I know he will dominate like he did on the field. See you in Canton Mr. Strahan.
"A convicted steroid dealer who provided documentary evidence and testimony to N.F.L. officials last month that tied several players to the use of performance-enhancing drugs was found shot to death Thursday morning at his home in Plano, Tex., the police said.
David Jacobs, pictured in 2004, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute anabolic steroids. He was sentenced to three years of probation.
David Jacobs, who pleaded guilty to federal steroid distribution charges last year, began cooperating with N.F.L. officials shortly after he was sentenced to probation in May. He was found dead at his home with his girlfriend, Amanda Jo Earhart-Savell, who had also been shot.
The two were found early Thursday morning after the police received a call from a person expressing concern for Earhart-Savell’s welfare late Wednesday.
“It’s a homicide investigation for now,” Gerry Minton, a Plano police department spokesman, said in a telephone interview. “We will treat it as such until evidence leads us elsewhere.”
Andrae Smith, a public-information officer for the police, said in a telephone interview, “We have no working knowledge of threats” against Jacobs.
“There is nothing that leads us to believe this is a public safety concern,” Smith added.
Smith said the medical examiner could make a ruling on the cause of deaths by Friday.
Darlene Duffy, 57, who lives around the corner from Jacobs, said she was in her backyard around 2:30 Wednesday afternoon when she heard what sounded like six gunshots.
“It was like a pop, pop, pop and then a pop, pop, pop,” Duffy said. “It was rapid and kind of quick.”
Jacobs, 35, told The New York Times in April that he provided two N.F.L. players with steroids and human growth hormone and that they supplied other N.F.L. players with banned substances. Jacobs said he helped players exploit loopholes in the league’s drug-testing program. His case had received national attention because a Web site for a supplements store he owned boasted that he had counseled several players on the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons.
The Times reported in April that information from the government’s investigation of Jacobs had led federal prosecutors to investigate Matt Lehr, an offensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints, who played for the Cowboys from 2001 to 2004 and for the Falcons from 2005 to 2006, on the suspicion that he distributed performance-enhancing drugs.
Lehr’s lawyer denied that Lehr had sold performance-enhancing drugs and said Jacobs fabricated information about Lehr after he refused to pay Jacobs’s legal fees.
At least one N.F.L. player was summoned to testify before a grand jury related to the government’s investigation.
When Jacobs was sentenced May 1, he said he was willing to share names with the league. Jacobs said that N.F.L. officials were at his house the morning after he was sentenced. The investigators, he said, were “trying to find out what I knew.”
Jacobs and his lawyer provided N.F.L. investigators with documentary evidence May 21 at a meeting. Since then, N.F.L. officials have been examining the evidence to determine if the players should be disciplined.
On Thursday, the N.F.L. issued a statement expressing condolences to the families of Jacobs and Earhart-Savell and said it would continue its investigation.
Jacobs’s father, David, of Jasper, Ga., said in a telephone interview that the Plano police said they had little idea what had happened to his son.
“I got a call from an anonymous caller who said, ‘Call the Plano police department,’ ” he said. “I just got off the phone with the police about 30 seconds ago, and they told me about David, but said they didn’t know how it happened.”
He added: “I spoke with David through a text message about three or four days ago, and he said he was fine. He has been trying to rebuild his life. He got crossed with some bad things and made some bad choices. At this point, I am just beside myself.”
The police said that while following up the call about Earhart-Savell, 30, they learned that she might be at Jacobs’s home and found the two bodies.
Police records show that in 2007 there were three homicides in the city of Plano, which has a population of roughly 265,000.
In an interview with The Times at his home in April, Jacobs demonstrated how he operated a makeshift steroid lab out of his kitchen, where he would turn raw powder from China into steroids.
Jacobs began to manufacture and sell steroids shortly after returning to Plano in 2005. He had been living in Finland.
Jacobs, a former competitive bodybuilder, said he had used performance-enhancing drugs until last April, when federal agents raided his home.
“David was a stand-up guy; an honorable man who directly and candidly confronted any mistakes he may have made and was set to move on with his life,” Jacobs’s lawyer, Henry E. Hockeimer, said in an e-mail message.
Since meeting with N.F.L. officials, Jacobs said he had been rebuilding his life. He had been working as a bouncer in Dallas.
“What’s new on your side of the world?” he wrote in a text message to a reporter Friday. “Things here in Dallas are pretty quiet, actually.”"
My guess would be that he pissed someone off who was of importance and had him killed. I hope the police can solve this. I like to see where this leads to.
When Mets Manager Willie Randolph sprinted onto the field for batting practice Monday, several dozens fans were behind the first-base dugout. One clapped. The others were silent. These days, Randolph is used to that kind of skeptical treatment.
After a two-hour meeting with the team’s owner, chief operating officer and general manager, Randolph was still managing the Mets when they played the Florida Marlins at Shea Stadium. But regardless of General Manager Omar Minaya’s assurances that Randolph’s job was never in jeopardy, Randolph still seemed to be fighting to stay in the dugout for the long term.
Minaya explained Monday that Randolph was the Mets’ manager, and noted that he had a contract through the 2009 season. What he failed to say, however, was revealing. Minaya would not guarantee that Randolph would be the manager for the rest of the season. If anything, it appears that Randolph still has an undisclosed deadline to rejuvenate the Mets.
“There is no limbo period,” Minaya said. “Willie is the manager. As I said this weekend, Willie has the support of the general manager, has the support of the ownership.”
How long Randolph will continue in that role remained uncertain. When asked if Fred Wilpon, the Mets’ owner, and Jeff Wilpon, the chief operating officer, told him during their meeting that he would manage the Mets for all of 2008, Randolph said, “No, they didn’t say that.”
Although it is possible that he could be just another shabby streak from being fired, Randolph said that he did not clutter his mind with those thoughts. After an uninspiring 7-3 loss to the Marlins, the Mets have lost seven of their last eight games. If their dismal stretch continues, Randolph’s next meeting with ownership could be his last.
“It’s something I have no control over,” Randolph said. “My main concern is trying to get this team back to where we’re playing good, solid baseball.”
The Mets (23-26) have perhaps more talent than any team in the National League East, but they are six and a half games behind the first-place Marlins. Minaya said that the Mets, whose payroll is almost $140 million, had “championship talent,” but that there was a difference between championship talent and a championship team. The Mets have not come close to playing like a championship team.
The Mets botched a seven-game cushion with 17 games left to end the 2007 season, so they cannot let too much of 2008 slip away. If the Mets, who often perform like a lifeless bunch, do not improve, Randolph could pay. Some boisterous fans started chants of “Fire Willie” in the eighth and ninth innings, but they gained little momentum.
“He’s not playing,” first baseman Carlos Delgado said. “We got to go out and play. I think we need to be responsible and turn it up a notch.”
When Delgado and center fielder Carlos Beltrán were asked if they thought Randolph deserved to stay as manager, neither simply said yes. Delgado repeated that the Mets needed to play better. Beltrán said that a decision about the manager was made by ownership, and third baseman David Wright agreed.
“That’s not in our hands,” Beltrán said.
Minaya said the Wilpons wanted to meet with Randolph to discuss comments he made May 18 to The Record of Hackensack, N.J., and to discuss the Mets’ ragged play. Randolph told The Record that he wondered about the way he was portrayed on the Mets’ television network and also wondered if he was being held to a different standard than white managers.
Randolph, who is the first African-American to manage a baseball team in New York, said the Wilpons were disappointed with his comments and showed “some passion” while expressing themselves. After Randolph apologized, Minaya said, the organization considered the remarks a dead issue.
“Ownership was disappointed in the comments,” Minaya said, adding, “But they’re also very disappointed in how the team is playing.”
During a 25-minute news conference Monday, Minaya did most of the talking. He tried to steer the focus from Randolph’s job status to the Mets and how they needed to play better. Randolph was stoic throughout the session. The only time he became animated was when he was trying to leave the 60 or so reporters behind so he could get to the field. “I’ve got a game in a couple of hours, and I’d rather be out there doing that,” Randolph said. “So let’s do it — win a game.”
Of course, Randolph’s Mets did not do it, did not win a game. Again. Minaya said he did not think Randolph’s situation was a distraction for players, but Beltrán said it was. Beltrán said the speculation about Randolph’s future could cause players to “come to the ballpark wondering if it might happen today,” referring to Randolph’s possible dismissal.
Randolph said he did not feel pressure regarding his job security because he was “here as the manager now.” But the Wilpons did not meet with Randolph simply to review why the Mets have floundered. They surely wanted to remind Randolph about his responsibilities in reviving a sluggish team.
“I didn’t come in thinking that I was going to get fired,” Randolph said. “I think I told some of you guys that I was looking forward to being the manager today, tomorrow and hopefully the rest of the year.”
The meeting is over, but the Willie Watch will continue.
I said it before and I'll say it again. It's just a matter of time. Start packing now Willie. Start packing.
Wednesday, May 21st 2008, 11:58 PM
The Joba Rules are being rewritten altogether.
Joba Chamberlain pitched the eighth and ninth inning of Wednesday night's 8-0 win over the Orioles, and afterward the Yankees announced that it was the first step of the phenom's much-anticipated conversion from lights-out set-up man to starting pitcher.
"I am excited about the opportunity," Chamberlain said of the transition. "First and foremost though, we got to win ballgames from here on out. So tomorrow starts another day of getting my legs and getting back on mound to see what happens. And making sure we win a game."
Joe Girardi said the change is not in response to the Yankees' struggles of late or the starting rotation's problems, but rather had been part of the plan all along.
"This is the timetable that we had set," Girardi said while announcing the decision after last night's game. "It's going to take him awhile to get to where he can throw 100 pitches, but this is what we've had planned all along. This is what we talked about over the winter and in spring training, and you saw the first of it tonight."
General manager Brian Cashman also confirmed that the plan had always been to make Chamberlain a starter. "That's ultimately the place where he will have the biggest impact on this franchise," Cashman said.
The process of converting Chamberlain went into motion Tuesday afternoon with a conversation in the trainers' room between the pitcher, coaches and Cashman, who asked the reliever what he wanted.
"He looked me right in the eye and said he wanted the opportunity to start," Cashman recalled. "I asked 'This year?' and he said 'Yes.'"
So ended what had been an ongoing debate among Yankee fans, the front office and coaches since the hard-throwing righthander was brought up from the minors last season. The plan is for Chamberlain to pitch on a regular schedule, which Girardi would not disclose, and stretch his pitch count from 35 (which he threw last night) to eventually about 100 pitches.
Chamberlain said that he will incorporate more of his pitches when he can and work on building up endurance, but those are about the biggest changes he will make.
"That's it, that's all you're gonna see, I ain't gonna be any different Joba," Chamberlain said. "I am not gonna transform into a different person. I am going to continue to do the stuff got me to that point. The stuff you see in the eighth inning, you will see that from the first inning on. So it's not going to be any different. You are going to see a few more changeups, a few more curveballs a few more two-seamers but that's it."
Chamberlain will continue to stretch himself out while working out of the bullpen. There are no immediate plans to send him down to the minor leagues.
"The way the plan is, I am going to continue to stay here, there is no better place than here to learn and take your licks and get better," Chamberlain said. "The plan is, I am gonna continue to mix things in when I have the opportunity, but continue to do my job and get outs."
Chamberlain said the coaches had talked to him about the plan to stretch him into a starter's role during spring training, but never gave him a timetable for the plan to be implemented.
"I didn't know when, I didn't even know if it would," Chamberlain said. "I was surprised. They just told me (Tuesday), but I have a full faith in the coaches and the front office that they will do this the right way."
I really don't know how to feel about this. On one hand I totally believe this is a panic move. On the other hand He has electric stuff and just may save the season. We'll soon find out. The 8th inning will be weaker now leaving the obvious choice that Rivera will be picking up 4 or 5 out saves more often than not. I think I'm going to reserve judgment on this issue until I see him make his first start. I wonder who will get the boot in the rotation when Joba joins it. Most likely Mr. Kennedy. Interesting times are ahead my friends. Get your popcorn ready.
A Met from 1998-2005, Piazza departs as one of the best power-hitting catchers of all time with 427 home runs and a .308 career average.
"I got a chance to work with him for a year, and he was a joy to coach," Willie Randolph said. "He was a real class guy and a real team player."Mets third baseman David Wright appreciated the chance to play nearly two seasons alongside Piazza in Queens.
"He was one of the guys who really helped me out," Wright said. "He was the man in New York, so to learn under him helped me out tremendously."
Mets closer Billy Wagner enjoyed facing Piazza.
"He could definitely change the game with one swing," Wagner said. "Nobody had his opposite-field power. Nobody."
Mets ownership released a statement.
"On behalf of everyone at the Mets, we salute Mike for his Hall of Fame caliber accomplishments in our game and with our team," Mets chairman and CEO Fred Wilpon said in a statement. "Mike electrified New York City and energized our franchise after we acquired him in 1998. He was an integral part of our 2000 National League Championship club. Mike played the game with passion, class and heart - symbolic of our city."
Nothing but respect for the Man. He was the face of the Mets. He was the one player you had to be careful to because he can take you out of any park. He had that much power. Mike will certainly be a first ballot hall of famer. I wonder what team he'll go in for. My pick would be for the Mets.
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