Gary’s greatest
Voice of Mets divulges his Amazin’ bests
In conjunction with the Mets’ 50th anniversary celebration, SNY will premiere a 60-minute program, presented by Citi, entitled “50 Greatest Mets” on Thursday at 7 p.m. Lifelong Mets fan and play-by-play superstar Gary Cohen is one of the blue-ribbon panelists, and today offers his own Top 10 Greatest Mets list for the Rumble:
1. TOM SEAVER: “I don’t think there has ever been a player in Mets history who has had close to having the kind of impact in terms of turning a perennial loser into a champion.”
2. MIKE PIAZZA: “From the day Mike stepped into the building in 1998, they became a team capable of winning a championship. The greatest-hitting catcher of all time. A sure first-ballot Hall of Famer.”
3. DWIGHT GOODEN: “Shea Stadium was never more electric on nights Dwight Gooden pitched. You always felt something special was going to happen when he went to the mound.”
4. JERRY KOOSMAN: “Maybe the most underrated player in Mets history. He was the big-game guy. He had the heart of a lion. The perfect complement to Seaver.”
5. KEITH HERNANDEZ: “Greatest leader in Mets history. A man who understood the game better than almost anybody who ever played the game. Made everybody else around him better.”
6. CARLOS BELTRAN: “Quietly forged some of the best seasons in Mets history. A switch-hitter who could run. A Gold Glove outfielder.”
7. DARRYL STRAWBERRY: “Greatest home run hitter in Mets history. The old saying: Nobody went to the concession stand when Straw was batting.”
8. JOSE REYES: “The most electrifying player the Mets have ever had. His enthusiasm, his joy for the game, his incredible speed and ability to leg out a triple brought people out of their seats.”
9. DAVID WRIGHT: “A lifelong Met who combined average, power, Gold Glove defense and a steadiness in the clubhouse, whose best days are still yet to come.”
10. HOWARD JOHNSON: “Put together
three of the best years in Mets history. A 30-30 player, a switch-hitter, a vastly underrated player.”
Asked why Marvelous Marv Throneberry failed to make his list, Cohen chuckled and said: “I don’t believe he made the Top 50. Just a guess.”
Tyree charity quite a catch
“David Tyree’s Charity Bowl” will benefit Children of the City and The Legacy Center, and will be headlined by the two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning on June 5 at 300 NYC, Pier 60 Chelsea Piers. Defensive linemen Justin Tuck and Chris Canty and offensive tackle Kareem McKenzie have signed on to join Manning and Tyree, who bowled over the Patriots with their Catch 42 miracle in Super Bowl XLII.
There are three ticket categories: tickets to bowl and mingle with Giants players are priced at $325 per person/$2,200 per lane; tickets to bowl with Giants players, elite access lounge and group photo with Manning are $1,000 per person/$8,000 per lane; and tickets to private bowling lanes with Manning and photo opportunities are $1,500. Corporate sponsorships are also available.
Tickets are available by calling Abby Meadows at (718) 436-0242, ext. 20, or by visiting charityhappenings.org, http://www.childrenofthecity.org or http://www.tlcnyc.org.
Hamilton homers fit like Franklin glove
Franklin Sports is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the major league batting glove, which was originated by its late founder Irving Franklin and Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt in 1982. Enter the Rangers Josh Hamilton, who became the 16th player in history to hit four home runs in a game on Tuesday wearing customized Franklin gloves on both hands blue and red Carbon Fiber II Digital Pro Franklin batting gloves.
“We are delighted that Josh achieved an historic milestone,” said Larry Franklin, Franklin Sports president. “It is one of the truly great performances in the history of our batting glove, and to happen in our 30th anniversary season is awesome. Josh is a Franklin all-timer with the likes of Mike Schmidt and Tony Gwynn. We’re proud of him.”
Riley, team owner Heat up Le Cirque
Miami Heat owner Micky Arison and wife Madeleine dined with Pat Riley and wife Chris at Le Cirque the night before last Sunday’s Game 4 at the Garden vs. the Knicks. They washed down some of Sirio Maccioni’s wife Egi’s house-made Tuscan sausage and beans with Sassicaia wine. … David Wells “Yankeeography” on Thursday night on YES.
Cardinal Dolan, Torre catch up
Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, sat down for a special SiriusXM Town Hall broadcast that aired nationwide on The Catholic Channel. On the broadcast, Cardinal Dolan was joined by former Yankees manager Joe Torre.
Cardinal Dolan was born in St. Louis, grew up a Cardinals fan, and was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis. Torre was an All-Star for the Cardinals in the early ’70s and managed the team in the ’90s. Both men also worked in Milwaukee, Torre with the Milwaukee Braves and Dolan as that city’s Archbishop.
In time, their careers brought them both to New York.
While sharing memories of their time in St. Louis, Cardinal Dolan shared a story of sitting in a diner and having breakfast with the Cardinals legend Stan Musial early in his tenure as Auxiliary Bishop.
“We’re sitting there talking baseball,” Cardinal Dolan recalled, “And I said, ‘Stan, if you were playing today what do you think you’d bat? What do you think your average would be today?’ (Musial batted .331 lifetime over 22 seasons with the Cardinals.) He looked at me and he said, ‘Eh, maybe about .260 or .265.’ I said, ‘Oh, come one, Stan, you’re selling yourself short.’ He said, ‘Well, I’m 80!’ … He wasn’t kidding!”
Maras have hand in ‘Pet’ project
The Pet Rescue 30th anniversary gala recently was held in New Rochelle with 600 guests in attendance. Among the special honored guests were Denise and John Mara, who are Pet Rescue supporters and volunteers. They in turn honored Paula
and David Krenkel, Larchmont, N.Y residents, as the”unsung” hero volunteers of Pet Rescue for their efforts in fostering homeless animals and helping to find their forever homes.
The Krenkels received official Giants jerseys and celebrated the Giants’ Super Bowl win by posing with the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which was on display at the gala. Paula devotes countless hours to rescuing animals, when she is not working as speech and language therapist, and is assisted by David, when he is not playing the tenor sax and singing in his “45rpm Band” (www.45rpmband.net).
“My wife and kids have volunteered for Pet Rescue for years,” John Mara told The Rumble. “It is a wonderful organization that rescues dogs and cats from kill shelters in the South and finds them homes in our area. We have four rescue dogs of our own.”
Wrestler’s golf charity event par for course
The 2012 New Jersey Drive of Champions, the largest benefit golf outing in the history of amateur wrestling, will be held at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., on June 4, and Randy Couture, a former world-level wrestler (Oklahoma State University), motion picture star and MMA hero, is the event’s honorary chairman.
Couture starred in the motion picture film “The Expendables” alongside Sylvester Stallone, Jason Stratham and Jet Li. Couture will reprise his role as Toll Road in “The Expendables 2” this August.
Members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic wrestling team will conduct a wrestling exhibition in which thrilling throws and unique moves will be performed. For more information about the New Jersey Drive of Champions, visit http://www.njdriveofchampions.com.