Archbishop Molloy grad Baxter could realize boyhood dream of playing for the New York Mets

Mike Baxter, who played under the legendary Jack Curran at Archbishop Molloy in Queens, is poised to replace Carlos Beltran on the Mets roster once he is traded. The 2002 Molloy grad was claimed off of waivers from the San Diego Padres last week after recovering from a spring training injury where he damaged ligaments in his left thumb after diving for a fly ball.

Since his signing, Baxter, the outfielder-first baseman was quickly promoted to Class AAA Buffalo from Class A Port St. Lucie after batting .438 in four games. Baxter didn't disappoint the Buffalo fans, swatting a home run in his first at-bat off of Scranton pitcher D.J. Mitchell.

The Whitestone native was excited about the possibility of playing with his hometown team. “I loved being with San Diego and I was disappointed at first, but then I was thrilled to learn I was claimed by the team I grew up rooting for. That was just fantastic."

Baxter made his major league debut as a September call-up in 2010, going 1-for-8, mostly as a pinch hitter. He was placed on the 40-man roster after his signing and could be first on the list to be recalled with Fernando Martinez and Kirk Nieuwenhuis on the disabled list.

More Info -
Baxter basking in big league call-up - New York Post
Meet Mike Baxter - Mets minor league blog
Queens native Baxter a hit with Triple-A Portland -  Dylan Butler

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Mike Bielecki Has An Emotional Recall Of First Seeing His Rookie Baseball Card

Rookie cards in baseball cement a snapshot of hope, potential, and excitement in a player's career. Fans can clearly remember the hype surrounding a player's debut, as well as, where and how they acquired that special card. Looking back at the fresh faces drums up memories of an innocent time when they all had the opportunity to become impact major leaguers.

1985 Donruss Mike Bielecki

Players also have sharp recollections of first looking at their initial, and sometimes only, appearance on a baseball card. These cardboard treasures signaled they made it, officially immortalized on cardboard as a professional ballplayer. Handing a player their rookie card to sign often presents a memorable exchange about their memories of when they were first asked to sign it.

Mike Bielecki, 14-year major league veteran, was named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year in 1984 after going 19-3 for the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League. He was a September call-up, pitching 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, long enough to earn him a spot as a “Rated Rookie” in Donruss' 1985 set.

When given his 1985 Donruss issue at a charity event last week, Bielecki starkly recalled being unaware the card was out when he was first asked to sign it.

“I was at a ceremony in the winter [of 1984] being honored as the Minor League Player of the Year, and some little kid hands me the card to sign at the end of the evening,” Bielecki said. “I go, 'What is this?', I didn't even know the card was out. I offered the kid money for the card, but he wouldn't take it; he wanted the signature.”

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Former Mets catcher Sasser receives Hall of Fame honors

The visions of Mackey Sasser double and triple pumping before throwing the ball back to the pitcher are vivid memories for New York Mets fans. The former catcher's struggles with his throwing are well documented, but now the 48-year-old Sasser has been able to share his major league experience with the next generation of aspiring ballplayers at Wallace Community College.

Sasser has been the head coach at Wallace for the past 14 seasons where he starred as a player (1982-83) before signing with the San Francisco Giants. During his tenure he's posted a 462-281 record and has been able to have numerous players sign professional contracts.

Last week, Sasser was inducted into the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame in Alabama. Sasser played nine seasons (1987-95) for the Mets, Pirates, Giants and Mariners. While most recognize Sasser for his throwing problems back to the pitcher, he batted .307 with the Mets in 1990 and displayed a tremendous arm throwing out runners across the diamond.

His problems worsened after a collision at the plate with Jim Presley of the Atlanta Braves. Sasser suffered a torn Achillies tendon that further affected his ability to throw. He signed with the Seattle Mariners after the 1992 season, playing two injury plagued seasons with them. He spent one more with the Pirates in 1995 before retiring.

After some therapy, Sasser has been able to rise above the challenges he faced on the field.

"I didn’t want to deal with it anymore and moved on. I was able to get some help and it’s not a problem now. I had to learn to deal with myself, not just the problem,” Sasser said to the Dothan Eagle.

As a coach, Sasser takes great pride in watching his players develop not only on the diamond, but in their personal lives.

"I make my kids work hard because I want to get the best out of them," he said. "The most gratifying thing to me is when one of them comes back a few years later and he’s started a family or used his education to get a good job. I want to see them get to where they need to be.”

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Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez give an assist to Habitat for Humanity in Brooklyn

The New York Mets Alumni Association presented by Citi teamed up with Habitat for Humanity in Brooklyn earlier Friday for their “100 Homes in Brooklyn” project. Current SNY broadcasters and Mets alumni Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez represented the team at the Brownsville site. 

Both players address the media at the ceremony. Darling was grateful to be a part of the construction process.

“Both Keith and I are humbled by our opportunity to represent the Mets here,” Darling said. “For the Mets to include Keith and I with Habitat for Humanity and Citi, how great is that? To be able to put a roof over someone’s head, I don’t know if there is any better feeling you can have.”

Darling volunteered in New Orleans with his family in support of Habitat for Humanity. He enjoyed seeing his work come to fruition.

“I wasn’t down there volunteering as Ron Darling; I was just another guy with his family helping out. It was rewarding for the people that take part in it," he said. "The volunteers should be commended. At some point, your sweat equity and hard work will have someone indoors this winter.”

Josh Lockwood, the Executive Director of New York City’s Habitat for Humanity, discussed their valuable relationship with the New York Mets. He described how the relationship has grown over the past few years.

“This is the third year that the Mets alumni have been coming out to build with us,” Lockwood said. “It started a few years ago when the 1969 Mets completed our largest project ever. Last year and this year, we’ve had great philanthropically minded alumni coming out helping to build Habitat homes alongside the families that will live there.”

With the help of New York City officials, Habitat for Humanity has been able to acquire the land for basically free, providing they build affordable housing. The tremendous community interest in the dwellings has motivated them to work harder.

“We had a 41 home project a couple blocks away from here and that project had 10,000 applications for those homes,” he said. “It really inspired us to try and do more and build more. That’s led to an initiative to 100 homes in Brooklyn, and these 12 homes are going towards that.”

Georgette Lee, one of the people who was awarded one of the coveted homes, had a tremendous appreciation for the chance to have her part of the American dream. Today, it was a reality.

“I applied in March and was accepted April 1st,”  said Lee, who is looking forward to staying in the community where she was raised. “I met the income requirement, the credit check and I worked 200 sweat equity hours, which I did in five weeks.

“I think it is a wonderful opportunity because for years and years, I never thought I would be able to own anything in New York. To get the opportunity to not only own, but to help build and stay in the community where I was brought up is great.”

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Robinson Cano gets an assist from his father during the Home Run Derby

Last night's Home Run Derby champion, New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano didn't have to go far for family support, it was 60 feet away. His father Jose was throwing perfect pitches down the pipe all night long. It shouldn't be a surprise though; the elder Cano was a pitcher for the Houston Astros in 1989.

Click here to read more about Jose Cano's career and his relationship with his All-Star son.

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