A note to my readers

All,

If you’re wondering what happened to the posting on The ‘Ropolitans the last few days, and you haven’t been following my Twitter feed, here is the explanation.

On Monday, I woke up not feeling very well.  Unfortunately, that happens a lot for me.  But after things weren’t getting any better, my wonderful girlfriend called a doctor and dragged me to the car.

Thank goodness, because on the way my entire body froze up and I could not move.  Just imagine falling asleep on your arm, multiply it by 100 and spread it all over your body.  That’s how dehydrated I was.  It happed three more times that day, too.  Scary stuff.

From the doctor, where they called 911, I was sent to Yale New Haven hospital.  I was admitted later that night and ended up spending a few days there.

Diagnosis: A really gross stomach virus which triggered an unknown, underlying condition.  So as I’m somewhat on the mend, I’m set for a whole round of testing to figure out what is really wrong with me.

In the meantime, I’ve had zero energy to do much of anything besides sleep, hence the lack of blog posts.

Anyway, I’ll be getting back into the swing of things next week as we start to dip into single digit days between us and pitchers and catchers reporting.

Thank you for understanding and thank you to all the well wishes already sent my way.  It means so much to me.

-Andrew Vazzano

How to follow and interact with The ‘Ropolitans

With the winter meetings about to kick off tomorrow, signaling one of the busiest times of the year for baseball, I thought it would be a good time for a friendly reminder about all the way to follow and interact with The ‘Ropolitans.

(Side note: Rumors-for-the-sake-of-rumors anger me.  If I post a rumor, I’ll try my best to analyze it as a hypothetical for the team.)

Site: Obviously, there is the old-fashioned way of simply clicking into your browser, typing in theropolitans.com and hitting enter.

Comments: Every post has it’s own dedicated comment section.  If you click “Join the discussion!” you will be taken to the comments.  You can log in with your IntenseDebate account, Twitter name or just your name and e-mail.

Chat: There is always a chat box in the sidebar to talk Mets, no matter what topic you’d like to discuss.

RSS: Add the blog to your favorite RSS reader (mine is Google Reader) to have the feed of The ‘Ropolitans aggregated for any new content.

Twitter: If you use Twitter, follow me here.  Not only does every post go onto my Twitter, but I also post a lot of other stuff that doesn’t make it onto the blog.  It’s a great way to converse with me and other Mets fans.  I also post Twitter polls, that I feature on the blog, so you can contribute to those.  Be warned: I post a lot on Twitter.

YouTube: I have a YouTube account where I mostly post the audio from The ‘Ropolitans Radio.  I also have videos from when I attend games and The State of the Mets videos.

Tumblr: If you tumbl (I guess that’s the verb?), you can follow The ‘Ropolitans Tumblr right here.

E-mail: If you have any tips, questions or suggestions, never hesitate to e-mail me.  TheRopolitans@gmail.com

I hope you use whatever you feel most comfortable with and continue to visit and interact with this site.  Thank you to all my readers.  This site wouldn’t be anything without you.

Out and about

Today is one of the best weather days we’ve had in a while.  Go outside.  Lay in the sun.  Do something enjoyable.

The Mets are on tonight, but I won’t be around.  I’ll rejoin the blog sometime Sunday.  Until then, enjoy your weekend and let’s go Mets.

Atlantic City

I’m posting this not because I want Omar Minaya to take a spin on the free agent slots, but because I’m heading down to Atlantic City for a belated birthday celebration.  My grandfather, three friends and I will (hopefully) be painting the town red green.

Posting will resume on Monday.

Wish me luck!

The State of the Mets: Me on Mets Weekly [Video]

I finally got my segment from Mets Weekly up on YouTube. Thanks to everyone at SNY who had a hand in this. It came out very well.

The interview focuses on me and my blog and how I keep up with everything. I talk a lot about Twitter, Game Chats and connecting with fans. All the different aspects of "blogging."

The audio is extremely low, so crank it up all the way to get a good listen.

Me on Mets Weekly this weekend

Tomorrow, July 11, I will be on Mets Weekly on SNY.

I traveled into the city about a month ago to film a segment about my blog, Twitter, Game Chats and everything I do about the blog.  We filmed in the Mets Clubhouse Store on 42nd and 5th.

It was awesome to have this chance and I’m somewhat excited (if you couldn’t tell).

So check in on SNY at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow (which also happens to be my 21st birthday!) to watch the segment.

Turning Three: The ‘Ropolitans blows out the candles

Three years ago yesterday, the blog was created.  Three years ago today, the first Mets post went up.  Here it is, for you to see, in all it’s glory…

Even his trusty wiffle bat cant save him from this.

According to the Daily News: Pedro will most likely be taking off until after the all star break, which I assume means they will put him on the DL to make room for Mike Pelfrey. Looks like Pelfrey may get the start in one of the games of the doubleheader Saturday.

Darren Oliver looks like he will get the start today against Pitt. Wow...of the 4 Mets games I've seen this year the pitchers have been...John Maine vs. Washington (loss), Victor Zambrano/Darren Oliver vs. Atlanta (win), El Duque in the Bronx (loss), and again Oliver vs. Pitt. (hopefully a win)

I must have good pitcher karma or something.

Thank you to everyone who has read, commented and supported me through all of this.  I can’t thank you enough.

It’s been an absolute joy writing about this team from both the news and opinion standpoint.  It’s opened up doors I never even knew existed and has helped me meet so many wonderful people.

Someday, it’s my goal to make this my job.  I wouldn’t be here without my readers.  Thank you.

And, obviously, let’s go Mets!

Happy Father’s Day, Dad

My father is the reason I’m a Mets fan.

He grew up in Newark, New Jersey and has always told me he started off as a Yankees fan.  I block that out of my mind at times, but I am constantly reminded when I glance over my desk to a framed photo of the 1949-1953 World Champion New York Yankees that was passed from my grandfather to my dad.

But my dad eventually saw “the light” and started rooting for the Mets when the Yankees took a bit of a turn in the late-60’s (not that the Mets were any better (except in ‘69, of course)).

When I was born many years later, there was a battle for my baseball allegiance.  My entire mother’s family was, and still are, die-hard Yankees fans.  My dad, the lone Mets fan, had to take them all on to have his son become a Mets fan. 

I can remember the day I got “Metty-Bear,” a small teddy bear dressed in Mets pinstripes.  That was the day my heart was tied to the Mets.

I carried that thing everywhere when I was little and had it in my bed when I would sleep.  To this day, it sits on a stool next to my bed.

My father and I (and now my mother, too) always have the Mets.  Even if he is one of the grumpiest fans I know, we always have the team in orange and blue.

Thank you Dad, for fighting the good fight and making sure I turned out all right.

Happy Father’s Day and Let’s Go Mets!

Big day in NYC: Filming for Mets Weekly

If you follow my Twitter feed at all, you probably know I’ll be spending the better part of the morning in New York City filming a segment for Mets Weekly on SNY.

Obviously, I want to share this experience with you as much as possible, so below will be a nice little widget displaying my Twitter feed.  I’ll be tweeting as much as possible. 

I’ll be back in the afternoon, so look for some real posts around then. Otherwise, enjoy.

Mini sabbatical

Update – Thursday:  Hey, Mets fans! The Internet and TV are on.  Blogging will resume Friday!  Thanks for understanding.

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I’m all moved in, but the Internet is off until Thursday afternoon.  I’ll be taking a few days off from the site as the one-man aspect is quite heavy on the work.

I’ll be tweeting during this time, so check back here or my Twitter page for updates.

No game chat tonight or tomorrow, but feel free to either use the comments or the Mets Chat in the sidebar.

Talk to you on Twitter or on Thursday.

Movin’ out

Anthony works in the grocery store
Savin' his pennies for someday
Mama Leone left a note on the door,
She said,
"Sonny, move out to the country."
Workin' too hard can give you
A heart attackackackackackack
You oughta know by now
Who needs a house out in Hackensack?
Is that all you get for your money?
And it seems such a waste of time
If that's what it's all about
Mama, If that's movin' up then I'm movin' out.

-Billy Joel

That’s exactly what I’m doing today. 

I’m moving back up to Connecticut to complete a five-week summer course in pursuit of my degree from Quinnipiac University.  I’ll be moving into my house that will be my home for at least the next year and I may be without Internet and cable for a few days.

I will try my best to blog from school or any hot-spot I might find in or around my house.  I can always blog from by BlackBerry, but it’s not too easy to write an entire post just using my thumbs.

If I don’t have Internet, think of this as a mini-sabbatical.  I’ll try to post as much as possible, but pardon the site for the next few days.  Maybe the Internet gods are looking down upon me favorably and I will have some luck, but time will only tell.

OK, that’s all.  A chat is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight, so drop by for that.  I’ll be heading up on the Merritt Parkway.  Wave to me!

Interview with Fenway West

Head over to Fenway West to check out a little Q&A I did with Matt O’Donnell.  Here’s a sample…

FW: What are your predictions for this 3-game series with the Red Sox?

The 'Ropolitans: Hopefully the Mets can win one game. If any, I think the first game is their best shot with Dice K coming off the DL and facing Santana. Beckett and Pelfrey should be quite a show, though. And I don't think the Mets stand a chance against Wakefield. There will be quite a breeze blowing through Fenway from all the over-eager swings on Sunday.

Click here for the full Q&A.

Weekend away

I’ll be heading down to the Jersey shore for a weekend with some friends.  I’m leaving my quickly dying computer behind, so posting will be sparse if at all.  I have my BlackBerry, so if anything super-important breaks, I will try and post it.

Enjoy two scheduled game chats for today’s afternoon game and tomorrow’s night game.

Feel free to use the comments to chat about the Metsies this weekend.

Thanks and let’s go Mets!

-Andrew Vazzano

Blog redesigned

Hello readers of The ‘Ropolitans!

Just alerting you to a blog redesign that I’ve been working on for a few weeks.  It been implemented, so you might need some time to get used to it.  I hope not, but check it out, click around and let me know what you think.

I wanted something fresh and new, and I really like the final product.  I’m trying to put more “Mets” stuff in and around the site.

All critiques and comments are welcome.  Please either shoot me an e-mail or comment below.

Thanks and let’s go Mets!

-Andrew Vazzano

Guerilla advertising

I have to give major props to Terence Kearns for having the guts to pull out a camera in a bathroom and snap this picture you see here on the right.

While at Citi Field, I decided to do a little guerilla advertising and leave my business cards in some prime places around the park. The best place I found was the top of the urinal.

Hope it worked. Anyone find this blog from those cards?

And well done, Terence. A man with a camera in the bathroom is a very bold move.

25 random facts about my Mets fandom

The latest craze on Facebook (Facebook me!) is to post 25 random facts about yourself. I'm going to put a little spin on that and come up with 25 random facts about my Mets loving side of life.

1. I own over 10 Mets hats. (Probably not a lot compared to some, but my mom likes to make note of it.)
2. My friend Jamie Palatini will never let me forget that I fell asleep during the 2000 World Series.
3. I have a large poster of Keith Hernandez on my wall that I'm pretty sure no one else has.
4. I can trace my fandom all the way back to when I received "Metty Bear," a stuffed bear dressed in a Mets uniform. I still have him.
5. My first game at Shea was Marlins @ Mets. (The date escapes me right now.)
6. I have a lucky (unlucky?) helmet.
7. My entire mother's side are fans of the Yankees. Only my father is a Mets fan.
8. I have at least one of Mets branded article of clothing for everything you could possibly wear, save for shoes and underwear.
9. I'm an avid New York Mets fan that has a picture of the five-year-in-a-row World Series winning New York Yankees hanging in my bedroom.
10. I have received exactly one baseball from my time at Shea Stadium. It was given to me by a girl who begged a member of the Braves coaching staff for one. She already had two others.
11. I want to be Mr. Met, just for one day.
12. I wish I knew more about the history of the team.
13. During the season, most things play second fiddle to the games.
14. I actually think I prefer watching games on TV. I'm not sure if it's because it's so expensive to go to the stadium or if Gary, Keith and Ron are just that good.
15. I only owned a package of games once. Otherwise, I just haphazardly buy tickets to games.
16. I have two David Wright plaques next to my bed.
17. I have a man crush on Wright, as well. (As if you couldn't tell, considering #16.)
18. I wish my name was Razor Shines.
19. Favorite meal at Shea: Hot dog, fries, drink in 3rd inning. Pretzel in the 7th.
20. I don't know the exact number, but I'm pretty sure I've seen more losses than wins at a game.
21. I once had a Mets belt buckle, but it has since gone missing.
22. The only autograph I have (in my house), from any Mets player, is the Keith Hernandez signed ball I bought for my dad.
23. I scream "Git! Git! Git!" whenever a ball has a chance to sail over the fence. My roommates hate it.
24. I also scream "Git down! Git down!" when the other team smacks one.
25. I know I will cry like a baby if I ever get to see a World Series championship.

Let's hear yours (you don't need to do 25)!

Tidbits: F-Mart shut down, Ruelas on board, milestone for me

A few tidbits before I go out to cover three seperate sporting events for The Quinnipiac Chronicle up at the TD Banknorth Sports Center.

• Fernando Martinez, who might be the next Bobby Abreu, has been shut down for three weeks after straining his elbow in the Carribean Series. This kid just cannot stay healthy. I'm worried.
• The Mets have signed Heriberto Ruelas to a minor league contract. Ruelas is fresh off 44 appearances with Mexico City from the Mexican league.
• And last night, I passed the 100,000 visitor mark. I know that seems like a low number for over two years of this, but I was very, very slow to get off the ground. The last few months have been spectacular, and I hope this trend continues. Thank you to everyone who visited.

It's officially baseball season to me

With the Steelers thrilling win last night, football season is over, which opens the door for baseball to take over my mind.

February is typically the most boring month of sports, but with pitchers and catchers reporting in 11 days, I'll take what I can get.

----

It's time for staring at pictures of baseball in Florida (while I'm freezing my butt off in Connecticut).

It's time for baseball.

It's time for people I've never heard of to take All Stars deep.

It's time for baseball.

It's time to start talking predictions and statistics.

It's time for baseball.

It's time for the crack of bats and the thump of balls hitting mitts.

It's time for baseball.

It's time to read about pitches breaking and pitchers working.

It's time for baseball.

It's time to get back in the groove, to anticipate games from the moment you wake up until the first pitch is thrown. To cheer the good times and remember to breathe through the tough times.

It's time for baseball.

It's time to live and die with 25 men, a wooden bat, a leather glove and a tiny little ball with red stitching.

It's time for baseball.

Play ball!

Quoted in Newsday

It's not the best quote in the world, but hey, I'm in Newsday!

Barbara Barker sent out a feeler on David Lennon's Newsday blog the other day asking fans about the recession and baseball. I shot her an e-mail, and she asked to talk to me over the phone.

Unfortunately (or is it fortunately?), I'm not from Long Island or New York, so I almost didn't make the cut. I must have persuaded her when I told her I can see the Long Island sound from my school -- or at least the sports center, to be more exact.

Here's my quote:

The signing even has brought a mixed reaction from hard-core Yankees fans, judging from responses to a query posted on Newsday's baseball blogs. Some, particularly younger fans, feel like Andrew Vazzano, a junior at Quinnipiac University, who says "a team has to spend money to make money." And other fans, even those who are thrilled that the Yankees are trying to improve, seem somewhat taken back by Sabathia's contract.

Now I'm not sure if I'm used separate from that Yankee statement, as just a baseball fan in general, or if she goofed. Obviously, I bleed orange and blue.

I did talk a lot about the Yankees on the phone, so I can see why she could have made the mistake. I guess it's because I feel like the Mets got Francisco Rodriguez for a steal, and traded for J.J. Putz while the Yankees went out and spent considerably more money for their big acquisitions.

Either way, it's pretty cool to see your name in print. Maybe one day I'll be writing the articles...Wouldn't that be nice!

Check out the full article right here. It's worth the read.

Why I want to do what I do

Last night, or all of yesterday for that matter, was a very exciting time for me and the blog. It was great to cover things real time and feel like a real reporter, breaking news and all that. Ben Shpigel has a really awesome post on The New York Times Bats blog, only making me want to do what I do even more.

Omar Minaya was set to hold his daily briefing with reporters on Wednesday, but the phone rang before things got under way. Here's Shpigel's take:

Minaya’s daily briefing with the beat reporters was scheduled to begin around then in his hotel suite. Soon after we walked in and settled into the couches and chairs, a telephone in the suite rang. Minaya walked behind the couch where I was sitting to answer the phone. His voice lowered instantly, but I heard him say, “Uh-huh, uh-huh.” He mentioned something about “players who we’d get” and I heard him say, “Heilman.”

He told the person on the other line that he’d get back to him and hung up. Then he asked John Ricco, the assistant G.M., and Adam Wogan, the team’s director of minor league operations, to join him in an adjacent room. Minaya closed the door behind him, and they stayed in there for about 15 minutes.

That is just too cool.

Along with a few of my friends, I'm already planning a trip to Indianapolis next December to attend the 2009 Winter Meetings. Not only will it be awesome to cover them live, but it's also a great place to land a job with a team.