Commentary
Cheer up, boys and girls of summer. Baseball spring training begins this month.
As a fan of both New York baseball teams since age 11 (my Mets fan pastor calls this “schizophrenic,” but I remain undaunted), I’m among millions who especially value those home-grown players who develop into stars and remain with one team for an entire career.
Think Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, David Wright, Lou Gehrig, Whitey Ford, Derek Jeter, Ed Kranepool, Joe DiMaggio, and a few others, and you realize what a small but beloved fraternity this is.
The departure of Mets-drafted, nurtured, and groomed ace pitcher Jacob deGrom left me disappointed, as he accepted an offer from the Texas Rangers for $185 million over five years. Such are the vicissitudes of free agency in modern Major League Baseball. The Mets quickly moved to sign Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Justin Verlander for two years, but still, the exodus of Jake, our home-grown kid, will sting for a while….