The settlement proposed in mid-March to end the litigation against the Mets’ owners, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, received the approval Thursday of the judge overseeing the case. There were no objections.
“This appears to be a reasonable, adequate and fair settlement,” Judge Jed S. Rakoff of United States District Court in Manhattan said. He said that the only downside to approving the settlement,
which was reached the Friday before a jury trial was to start, was not having the Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax testify for Wilpon and Katz.
Rakoff said that the settlement “meets all applicable legal standards.”
Wilpon and Katz were not in the 14th-floor courtroom, which is also home to the insider trading trial of Rajat K. Gupta, a former director of Goldman Sachs.
Afterward, Wilpon and Katz’s lead lawyer, Karen Wagner, said, “Yay!”
Under the settlement, Irving H. Picard, the trustee for the victims of Bernard L. Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, dropped claims that Wilpon and Katz willfully ignored signs that Madoff might have been a fraud
during their many years of investing with him.
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Kathy Willens/Associated PressThe Mets are getting better than expected seasons from David Wright and Mike Baxter, but what can they expect from a player like Omar Quintanilla, above, their sixth shortstop this year?The Yankees and the Mets have spent the last 51 baseball seasons being as different as two teams can be. Whereas the Yankees have tradition and more titles than anyone wants them to count, the Mets have often
been an exercise in frustration with occasional bouts of miraculous behavior.
This year the teams remain opposites. And yet, as the season careers toward the one-third mark, their won-lost records are a half-game apart. It is enough to bring back the debate about whether it is better
to be lucky or good.
In the case of the Yankees, the argument would be for good. Based on the team’s run differential of plus-15, the Yankees’ record, 27-23, is what sabermetrically inclined fans expect it to be. The
Orioles, who are tied for first place in the American League East with the Tampa Bay Rays, have a one-and-a-half-game lead over the Yankees, but Baltimore has outscored opponents by only eight runs.
The Mets, at 28-23, would seem to prefer lucky. Having been outscored by 24 runs, the Mets could expect to be 23-28, which would put them in last place in the competitive National League East.
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The Mets, while enjoying a day off after 20 consecutive games, received a few bits of encouraging news out of upstate New York on Thursday afternoon.
Chris Young threw 87 pitches over six scoreless innings for the Mets’ Class AAA team in Buffalo.
Young is expected to make one more start in the minor leagues, after which the Mets will probably insert him into their rotation. That would stop the revolving door in the fourth spot, which has been occupied
by Miguel Batista, Jeremy Hefner and Chris Schwinden since Mike Pelfrey was injured.
Josh Thole, who has been on the disabled list since sustaining a concussion earlier this month, caught Young’s start and then finished the game behind the plate.
After the game, the Mets announced that Thole and the right-hander Elvin Ramirez would be in New York on Friday in anticipation of roster moves.
Alex Gallardo/ReutersRussell martin celebrates with Rafael Soriano after the Yankees defeated the Angels on Wednesday.ANAHEIM, Calif. — Yankees catcher Russell Martin had an unusual night Wednesday in the Yankees’ 6-5 victory over the Angels.
He was hit in the neck twice by bouncing pitches, but worse was his bizarre confrontation with the home-plate umpire Laz Diaz. Martin said that he and Diaz were bickering over pitches that Martin
felt should have been called strikes, and that Diaz then punished him for it by not allowing him to throw new balls back to the pitcher.
“Unbelievable,” Martin said before using a profanity to describe Diaz.
Martin likes to throw each ball back to the pitcher in order to keep a feel for the ball and keep his arm loose and warm, especially when there are runners on base. Often, after foul balls, umpires will throw
new balls back to the pitcher, but Martin said he often asks if he can do it, and he said the other umpires always oblige.
But he said Diaz refused his request.
“He told me I had to earn the privilege,” said Martin, who drew a walk and scored a run Wednesday. “I should have showed him the Gold Glove label on my glove.”
Martin said he has not had a previous run-in with Diaz.
“But I know he can hold a grudge with the best of them,” he said.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — A year ago the Yankees were the most productive team in baseball with the bases loaded, hitting 10 grand slams and scoring 146 runs.
The year before they were even better, scoring 194 runs in those situations and hitting 10 slams with a .344 batting average. That accounts for a lot of runs.
But this year has been markedly different. Whereas once the Yankees were the most feared team with the bases loaded, now they are almost enfeebled.
Usually, when the bases are loaded the team at the plate has the statistical advantage because pitchers feel compelled to throw strikes, and hitters can unload. Over the previous three seasons, the Yankees collected
461 runs batted in with the bases loaded.
But after going 0 for 2 with the bases loaded Tuesday in their 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, the Yankees were 8 for 53 this season with the bases full, with only two doubles, two grand slams and 33 R.BI.
Their .151 batting average in those situations was 26th among the 30 major league teams and second to last in the American League. The Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox led the major leagues with a .385
with the bases loaded, and the median batting average was .270.
Worse for the Yankees, they carried an almost inconceivable 0–for-15 streak with the bases loaded into Wednesday’s game. Manager Joe Girardi acknowledged being baffled by the Yankees’ inability
to cash in during those tantalizing situations.
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Over the years, I have become increasingly methodical in my draft-day preparations. As with many owners who play in several leagues, there is a strong correlation between the rosters of my eight teams this season.
As a result, there are much larger investments in some players than others, and, of course, an even greater portion of the player pool that I avoided entirely because I was concerned about playing time or
injuries because the draft-day price tag simply became too high. If you are into investment terms, you would say that I shorted these players.
Of course, in draft formats, there are more constraints than auctions, so the opportunity to own many early-round players is dictated by draft position. Still, there was one very talented young player whom
I avoided across the board two-plus months ago, and it has proven to be a good decision thus far.
Brett Lawrie’s impressive rookie numbers were unlike any we have ever seen from a first-year player upon his call-up from the Blue Jays last season, as he hit .293 with nine homers, 25 R.B.I. and seven
stolen bases over 43 games (171 plate appearances). Not surprisingly, the hype drove up the price tag during the winter and spring, and owning Lawrie required a top-40 overall selection.
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ANAHEIM, Calif. —Nick Swisher had just finished describing to reporters late Monday night how he avoided a serious injury during his outfield collision with center fielder Curtis Granderson when he went
around a corner to grab a bottle of water.
When Swisher came rushing back around the same corner he came, within an inch of crashing into Raul Ibanez, the other Yankees outfielder.
“I’ve got to just get home and get somewhere safe,” Swisher joked.
The sentiment was understandable. After being involved in one high-impact collision and barely eluding another in the same game, Swisher almost had his third run-in with an outfielder while walking in the clubhouse.
But Swisher is not about to enter a cocoon or change the way he plays.
“That’s part of the gig,” he said before Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels. “You can’t be worried about it. I’m an aggressive player and that’s
who I am.” Read more…
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Yankees added another bullpen option to the organization Tuesday when they claimed the former Mets right-hander Ryota Igarashi off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. Igarashi reported
to Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in time for Tuesday’s game.
The Yankees had been scouting Igarashi in the minor leagues and were impressed that the velocity on his fastball was up to 94 miles per hour, and that he had developed a new cut fastball while pitching over
the winter in the Dominican Republic.
Igarashi, who turned 33 on Monday, was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates based on his form in the Dominican and invited to spring training. The Pirates traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays on March 30. He pitched
well in the minors, going 1-1 with a 1.29 earned run average and four saves in 19 games for Class AAA Las Vegas before being called up by Toronto last week.
But he was hit hard in two appearances against the Texas Rangers on May 25 and 26, allowing four runs and five hits in one inning combined, and was designated for assignment.
Igarashi pitched for the Mets in 2010 and 2011. But his two years in the organization were a disappointment, with the Mets relegating him to the minor leagues for most of the time because they felt he was not
aggressive enough.
One turned ankle has led to the Mets’ trotting out their sixth shortstop this season, although at least the latest option has experience at the position.
Justin Turner’s sore right ankle landed him on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. To replace him on the roster, the Mets purchased the contract of the veteran shortstop Omar Quintanilla from Class AAA
Buffalo.
Quintanilla, 30, has played parts of six major league seasons with the Colorado Rockies and the Texas Rangers, getting his most extended
action in 2008, when he batted .238 in 81 games for the Rockies.
Quintanilla has a reputation as a strong fielder but is unlikely to provide much in the way of offense. Quintanilla, a 2003 first-round draft pick out of the University of Texas, has a career on-base plus slugging
percentage of .552, which adjusted for home parks is 60 percent below league average. He was hitting .282 at Buffalo.
Quintanilla was in the starting lineup Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Quintanilla has the distinction of being the first Met with a last name starting with Q, leaving X as the only letter not represented on last names on the team’s all-time roster. He is, however, unlikely
to join Paul Quantrill, Carlos Quentin and Dan Quisenberry as players with Q last names who have been selected to an All-Star team. Read more…
Ken Belson/The New York Times
A souvenir from the Swallows.
TOKYO – Meiji Jingu Stadium, the home of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, is a long way from New York, Washington and the other cities where Lastings Milledge has played during his spotty career. But after
a mediocre six-year stint with four major league teams, it is where he now hangs his hat.
On Sunday, Milledge roamed center field on a sultry spring night as the Swallows played the Rakuten Golden Eagles. No offense to the Swallows, but Milledge’s presence was a reminder of how he has failed
to match the hype that accompanied his brief and rocky career with the Mets, who drafted him in the first round in 2003.
Milledge is not the first former major leaguer who has tried to revive his fortunes by playing in Japan. After a rocky start in the United States, Colby Lewis spent two years pitching for the Hiroshima Carp. The Texas Rangers took note, and he has been a mainstay of their rotation ever since.
Milledge, though, received far more attention on his way to the major leagues. Perhaps because he was drafted by the Mets, who play in New York, where prospects sometimes receive outsized attention, Milledge
was considered a can’t-miss outfielder.
It didn’t work out that way. In one of his first games in 2006, he homered and, on his way out to the field, traded high fives with the fans, earning him a stern warning from his teammates. His behavior
suspect, he was traded to the Nationals after the 2007 campaign. In six major league seasons, Milledge hit 33 home runs and batted .269.
He hasn’t been doing much better in Japan. He apparently isn’t enamored with Japanese noodles and rice, and he was fined 100,000 yen (about $1,250) for arguing with an umpire.
Read more…
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Torii Hunter, a Los Angeles Angels outfielder, returned to the team Monday after spending two weeks with his family after the arrest of his son in connection with a sexual assault case.
Hunter had been on the restricted list since May 14. He was not activated for Monday’s game against the Yankees. He has been working out on his own and may be activated Tuesday. He was in uniform Monday,
and when he was sent out to catch the ceremonial first pitch, he received a loud ovation from fans.
Hunter’s son, Darius McClinton-Hunter, 17, was arrested May 14 along with another 17-year-old boy and three juveniles on charges of sexual assault.
McClinton-Hunter is a talented high school defensive back who was being recruited by several major colleges. Hunter said that several of the schools had backed out since the incident, but that Utah and Texas
Tech remained interested.
In an interview with reporters in the Angels’ dugout before Monday’s game, Hunter said that when he first heard the news of the arrest, he was angry and wanted to physically punish his son. He
said his son had convinced him of his innocence. Read more…
OAKLAND, Calif. — Derek Jeter singled to left field in the first inning of Sunday’s game against the Oakland Athletics for his 3,155th hit, passing George Brett for sole possession of 14th on the
career list.
The Yankees issued a statement attributed to Brett, who said he only met Jeter once, but was looking forward to meeting him again soon to offer his personal congratulations.
“I’m always kind of bummed out when guys pass you because you had your own place in the record books for a while, and I had that one there for a while,” the statement said. “But a
guy like Derek comes around and passes you, really, I think it all depends on the type of person that did it. I have the utmost respect for him. I’ve only met him one time, very briefly, but for a
guy to play as long as he has in New York, and I’ve never heard one bad thing said about the guy, he’s definitely a team player, he’s a clutch player. He’s been the backbone of
this organization for a long, long time and when a guy like that passes you, I’d like to shake his hand and look him in the eye and say congratulations.”
Brett retired in 1993 after 21 years with the Kansas City Royals with 3,154 hits in 11,625 plate appearances. Jeter reached career hit No. 3,155 in his 11,365th plate appearance in his 18th season.
The next player in front of Jeter is Cal Ripken, Jr., who had 3,184 hits.
OAKLAND, Calif. — Among the topics of conversations before the Yankees played the Oakland Athletics on Saturday afternoon were such vital matters as Mark Teixeira’s reawakening offense, Bartolo
Colon’s fastball and Joe Girardi’s year’s supply of Cap’n Crunch cereal, an apparent boyhood gift from the sweet-cereal gods.
On a slow Saturday morning in Oakland, with his team riding a three-game winning streak, Girardi was in a jovial mood, saying there were no pressing issues to dissect.
“Everyone’s O.K., I’m O.K.,” Girardi said in his daily press briefing with reporters in the dugout at 11 a.m. “I gave up my Honey Nut Cheerios for this.”
From there, Girardi revealed several more nuggets of information about his cereal preferences, from his carefully considered decision that morning to choose the Cheerios over other cereals available, including
Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs and Frosted Mini-Wheats.
He also said he is lactose intolerant, so he eats his cereal dry. Then he launched into a Girardi family legend of the hoard of Cap’n Crunch boxes in the 1970s.
When Girardi was about 8, he said, a train near his mother’s family’s home derailed, and one of the cars broke open, emitting numerous cartons of Cap’n Crunch. Read more…
Kobi Gideon/Israeli Government Press OfficeBrad Ausmus, with Israel’s president, Shimon Peres, hopes to add some major leaguers to his World Baseball Classic roster.The special assistant to the San Diego Padres’ general manager fell asleep watching a game on his iPad last weekend. “Extra innings,” Brad Ausmus, the special assistant, said, but he actually
had a better excuse. He was watching the game in Israel.
Ausmus, who played 18 major league seasons as a catcher for four teams, is the manager for Israel’s inaugural entry in the World Baseball Classic. He spent last week touring Israel and scouting prospects
and youth leagues, and on Thursday presented a jersey to President Shimon Peres.
“It’s a great life experience for him,” Padres Manager Bud Black said. “There’s no doubt Brad wants to stay in the game. Some players would rather go into broadcasting; some
players would rather go into the front office or amateur scouting. My instinct tells me Brad wants to get in uniform as either a bench coach or manager at some point.”
For Ausmus, 43, managing Team Israel is a start. Raised in Connecticut by a Jewish mother and a Protestant father, Ausmus did not go to church or synagogue as a boy, but his family displayed a Christmas tree
and a menorah. He said he felt most connected to his heritage through playing in the majors.
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Caleb Lloyd did not take his baseball glove to Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati last Monday.
“Every time I bring a glove, I never come close to catching anything, and I’m stuck carrying the glove around everywhere,” Lloyd said. “It’s a hassle.”
Lloyd, a junior forward on the soccer team at Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky., did not need a glove to experience perhaps the luckiest day any fan has ever had. Sitting in the front row of Section
102, he caught back-to-back home runs by Mike Leake
and Zack Cozart of the Reds — yet left without either ball.
Leake’s homer smacked off Lloyd’s palm, and he called it “one of the most painful things I’ve ever felt.” But he grabbed the ball before it hit the ground and stuffed it in
his pocket — “like Charlie tucking away the golden ticket” to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, he said.
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