Mets Name Mendoza Manager; To Be Introduced Tuesday

 

Carlos Mendoza in his new pinstripes. @Mets.

On Monday, one week after it was indicated in news reports, the Mets made it official and named Carlos Mendoza as their new manager.

Aguilas Walks Away With It Early In Win Over Licey At Citi Field

 

Tigres Del Licey, lined up along the third base line, and Aguilas, along the first base line, during the Dominican national anthem. Photo by Jason Schott.

On Sunday, the winner of the Titanes Del Caribe was decided early, as Aguilas Cibaenas put up seven runs in the first inning on their way to a 9-6 win over Tigres Del Licey at Citi Field on Sunday.

It is rare that the turning point happens in the first inning, but this was a case of that happening. 

Tigres had gotten a walk from Michael de la Cruz, and ex-Yankee Miguel Andujar came up with him on base and two out. Facing Aguilas starting pitcher Tyler Viza, Andujar took one to the warning track in right field, where Juan Carlos Perez tracked it down for the final out of the frame.

Miguel Andujar flying out to right field in the first inning. Photo by Jason Schott.

Adrian Rodriguez was on the mound for Tigres, and his afternoon began with allowing singles to Christopher Morel and he stole second before coming in to score on a single by Yadiel Hernandez.

Rodriguez proceeded to walk Elehuris Montero, Cesar Prieto, and Gilberto Celestino, the last of which forced in a run, and he was pulled from the game.

In came Luis Peralta, and he proceeded to walk Luis Valenzuela to force in another run, then hit Perez with a pitch with the bases loaded, and finally got an out when Carlos Paulino grounded into a force out, but another run came in that made it 5-0.

Yefri Perez, the ninth hitter in Aguilas lineup, singled to bring in Valenzuela to make it 6-0. Morel then walked to load the bases.

Luis Valenzuela greeted by the Aguilas mascot, an eagle, after he scored. Photo by Jason Schott.

Hernandez followed with a walk to bring in another run, as Paulino scored to make it 7-0, and that was all for Peralta.

Tigres turned to their third pitcher of the first inning, in Jesus Reyes, and he put out the fire. He struck out Montero and got Prieto to fly out to right field to end the long inning.

College Football: FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll - Week 11

 

In the FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll for Week 11 of the 2023 College Football season, the top four schools for the third straight week are Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Florida State. In fact, the top eight in the poll remained the same as last week.

Syracuse Football Continues Yankee Stadium Tradition With Win Over Pitt

 

Syracuse's Jayden Bellamy intercepting a pass to the right of the on-field ad before he ran it in for a touchdown late in the third quarter. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Syracuse Orange played the Pitt Panthers on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium in homage to the 100th anniversary of their meeting at the original ballpark in 1923.

Syracuse won that one on October 20, 1923, by the score of 3-0, and they had the same result today, as they came back to win 28-13.

Overall, Syracuse is 8-3 in games played at Yankee Stadium and now 3-2 at the current Stadium. They played here last December in the Pinstripe Bowl, in which they came up short against Minnesota, 28-20.

The Orange improved to 5-5 on the season, so it's quite possible they end up back here in around six weeks for their fourth Pinstripe Bowl appearance. Pitt's tough season continued, as they fell to 2-8.

In a throwback, Syracuse won this game with an attack that was nearly exclusively on the ground, as they rushed for 382 yards as a team. Tight end Dan Villari led the way with 154 yards on 17 carried and one rushing touchdown. Running back LeQuint Allen had 28 carries for 102 yards, while quarterback Garrett Shrader ran it 14 times for 96 yards and a rushing RD, and RB Juwuan Price had five carries for 28 yards.

Syracuse jumped out to an early lead in this one, as Shrader connected on a five-yard touchdown pass to Maximilian Mang (what a name) at the 10:17 mark of the first quarter. That capped an opening drive that went four minutes and 43 seconds. Interestingly enough, that was the only completed pass for Shrader, as he only made two passing attempts in the game.

Maximilian Mang hauling in the opening touchdown. Photo by Jason Schott.

After Pitt had a quick drive, Syracuse was going down the field until Shrader fumbled at their 46-yard line. The Panthers then had a six-play, 20-yard drive that resulted in a Ben Sauls 35-yard field goal with 1:19 left in the opening frame.

Syracuse then punted on their next three possessions in the second quarter, while Pitt did on two of theirs. Then, suddenly, Pitt broke the logjam with a four-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 10-yard pass from Christian Veilleux to Konata Mumpfield that put them up 10-7.

After Syracuse followed with a three-and-out, Pitt went on a six-play, 41-yard drive that led to a 33-yard field goal from Sauls to put the Panthers up 13-7 at halftime.

Pitt received the ball to open the second half, and their seven-play, 27-yard drive was extinguished when Veilleux fumbled at the Syracuse 48-yard line at 10:56 of the third quarter.

The Orange offense turned a corner, as they went on a nine-play, 52-yard drive capped by a 21-yard run from Shrader at the 7:24 mark of the third that put them up 14-13.

Pitt then went three-and-out before Syracuse had another extended drive of eight plays and 61 yards over three minutes and 44 seconds, but that was halted when Shrader was halted at the one-yard line on a fourth-and-goal from the Pitt 2-yard line with 2:30 left in the third.

Pitt stopping Garrett Shrader before he hit the pylon and the end zone late in the third quarter. Photo by Jason Schott.

Then, on the second play of Pitt's ensuing drive, Veilleux fired one to the right side of the field, and Jayden Bellamy caught it at the 23 yard line and ran it in for a pick 6 that put the Orange up 21-13. (Photo essay of the interception at the end of this report)

The Syracuse defense struck again soon after, as they forced Veilleux to fumble on a quarterback keeper at their 34-yard line.

Two plays into Syracuse's ensuing drive, Villari ran in a touchdown from 27 yards out that put the Orange up 28-13 and essentially iced the game.

Sryacuse celebrating Dan Villari's late TD. Photo by Jason Schott.

PHOTO ESSAY: The Thrill of Jayden Bellamy's Pick 6:

Photos by Jason Schott

Pitino Pregame: Michigan Matchup Monday At The Garden

 

Rick Pitino penned this letter to the fans promising a return to glory, and it appeared in Friday's New York Post. @StJohnsBball.

When Rick Pitino was named St. John's head coach this past spring, he vowed to make Madison Square Garden the home court for the Red Storm that it once was.

Titanes Del Caribe Commences At Citi Field

 

Photos by Jason Schott.

The blue of Licey and black and yellow of Aguiles on the boards at Citi Field.

The "Series De Titanes Del Caribe" began at Citi Field on Friday night with Aguiles Cibaenas shutting out Tigres Del Licey, 3-0.

The series between the two most successful teams in the Dominican Winter League continues on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, with the first pitch each day at 1:00 p.m.

Ronnie Williams got the start for Aguiles, and he threw six innings, in which he allowed no runs and just one hit.

Ronnie Williams striking out Yunior Severino in the fifth inning on Friday night. Photo by Jason Schott.

Aguiles got the early lead in the second inning against Tigres starter Logan Allen, most known for his time with the Cleveland Indians. Cesar Prieto got an RBI single to bring home Christopher Morel, the Chicago Cubs outfielder, who reached on an error by Tigres first baseman Tristin English to open the frame. Francisco Pena got a sacrifice fly later in the frame to make it 2-0.

The night began with the American and Dominican National Anthems sung, which wowed the raucous crowd. Boston Red Sox legend and Hall of Famer David Ortiz, Big Papi, was on hand and he caught ceremonial first pitches from the Dominican Republic Vice President and First Lady.

One thrill for fans was getting to see players who have starred in the Major Leagues, specifically New York.

Juan Lagares, who was a Mets center fielder from 2013-2020, was in that spot for Aguilas, until he got pulled for a pinch runner in the third inning after he got a single. Early in his career, Lagares was one of the best center fielders in baseball, as he won the National League Gold Glove in 2014 and was a member of their N.L. championship team the following season.

Another member of the 2015 Mets, Hansel Robles, came in to pitch an inning in relief for Tigres. Robles pitched for the Mets from 2015-18 before he was traded to the Angels. He then joined the Minnesota Twins in 2020, and was then traded to the Boston Red Sox the following season. He made 26 appearances for Boston in 2022, and did not appear in the Majors this past season.

A familiar face for fans of the team across town, the New York Yankees, can see Starlin Castro on Aguilas. Though he was the designated hitter on Friday night, Castro was a second baseman for the Yankees in 2016 and 2017 after he began his career with the Chicago Cubs, where he received a lot of attention, from when he came up as a 20-year-old in 2010 until 2015.

The managers of each teams are familiar faces, as Tony Pena, who used to be a Yankees bench coach under Joe Torre, leads Aguiles, while Jose Offerman, a former second baseman for the Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox, leads Tigres.

Books: "The Risk It Takes to Bloom" By Raquel Willis

 

The Risk It Takes to Bloom

By Raquel Willis

St. Martin's Press; hardcover, 384 pages; $29.00; available Tuesday, November 14th

Raquel Willis (she/her) is an award-winning writer, activist, and media strategist dedicated the Black transgender liberation. She has been the communications director for Ms. Foundation for Women, executive editor of Out magazine, and national organizer for Transgender Law Center. Her writing has appeared in Black Futures by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham, and Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019, edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha Blain.