Interviews

Sixty years ago to this day, Joe DiMaggio recorded a hit in his 56th consecutive game, an MLB record that stands to this day. Although other hitters have come close (most notably Pete Rose’s 44-game streak in 1978), DiMaggio’s streak stands as one of the most immortal accomplishments of all time.

Co-author Alan Hirsch was kind enough to answer and respond to questions and criticisms of his new book, The Beauty of Short Hops: How Chance and Circumstance Confound the Moneyball Approach to Baseball.

Q: Billy Beane didn't/doesn't watch A's games because, in your words, "He can’t bear seeing the damn players muck up what should be a perfectly predictable contest." 

I had the good fortune of connecting with the Milwaukee Brewers 2009 Minor League Player of the Year, Logan Schafer, and asked if he would have time for a quick interview. He didn't at the time but we agreed to connect somewhere around the beginning to middle of spring training.

We had originally thought that we could do a phone interview but that had been discussed just prior to Schafer's thumb injury which he suffered during a spring training game.

I got the pleasure of getting to chat with Darrell Ceciliani today, prospect for the New York Mets.

Ceciliani hit .351 with a .410 OBP and had two home runs, 35 runs batted in and 21 stolen bases in 68 games last year for the short A Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York-Pennsylvania League. He also set franchise records of 95 hits, 56 runs and 12 triples.

Going to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York is a place where you can dig your mind into a gold mine of artifacts and have an amazing day in one of the greatest sports-related places in the world. I have gone to the Hall of Fame multiple times, and diehard baseball fans can never leave Cooperstown without new chunks of baseball knowledge.

Dave Jauss is a man of few words, but when he speaks, people listen.

He has a unique perspective on the game, where neither the past nor the future has any impact on his opinions, and where the here and now are the only things in the world.

He's an astute baseball man with more than two decades of experience and know-how to draw from, and he encapsulates the "taking it one day at a time" cliche better than anyone in pro sports.

The New York Mets might be 8.5 games out of first place in the National League East, but the players know that they are capable of turning the deficit around if they're given time.

Therein lies the kicker, though. The Mets are more than two-thirds of the way through their schedule and time just isn't something that is on their side. Still, they say, you can't stop believing now.

Wilmer Flores is one of the Mets' top prospects and one of the top prospects in all of baseball. At just 18 years old, Wilmer has already been playing professional baseball for three years.

After a strong performance in Single-A this year, Wilmer was called up to High-A ball to play for the St. Lucie Mets. At 18 years old, Wilmer is the second youngest hitter in the Florida State League.

Wilmer's success continued as a member of the St. Lucie Mets. He has a .349 batting average with two home runs and 19 RBI in 29 games.

Mookie Wilson is a household name in New York. He won a World Championship with the Mets in 1986 and played 10 of his 13 professional seasons in Flushing.

Yogi Berra played catcher for the New York Yankees for 17 years and one season with the New York Mets.

Yogi is one of four players to win AL MVP three times. He also won World Series’ as a manager in both leagues. Yogi Berra played for 10 World Series teams.

Yogi is known for his quotes like, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

Here is my interview with this baseball great:

BW: Did you not like hitting strikes since you are known for being a bad ball hitter?