Mickey Callaway

Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay torches Mickey Callaway and says others may be exposed

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New York Yankees‘ broadcaster Michael Kay gave his opinion about the latest MLB harrassment scandal, which has Los Angeles Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway as the main perpetrator.

One of the Yankees’ voices seems to believe that there are lots of coaches, managers, and players who are really scared. They think they could be singled out next by female reporters for past behavior.

Callaway was suspended by the Angels, as they collaborate with MLB on the investigation. He made inappropriate comments and advances to five female reporters who told their story to The Athletic. Mets’ general manager Jared Porter did a similar thing in 2016 and ESPN ran the story a couple of weeks ago, resulting in his dismissal.

“I’m going to tell you right now there are people throughout sports — let’s say baseball because that’s seems to be the emphasis right now — (that are) shaking in their boots because they know it’s about to rain down, because this stuff is not going to be put up with anymore,” Kay said Tuesday on his ESPN radio show.

The Yankees broadcaster wasn’t surprised when he learned about the Callaway case.

“I spoke to a number of women the last couple of years who told me about Callaway,” Kay said. “They said he’s one of the biggest dogs you’ve ever seen in baseball. So it was well known. And the guy keeps getting jobs. The Mets hired him. How did the Mets not know? The women that are covering the team were getting hit on constantly in texts and the Mets had no clue whatsoever.”

Callaway, according to NJ Advance Media, is married with two children. He sent and asked for topless photos to female reporters, among other things.

The Yankees’ broadcaster thoughts on the matter

“I have no idea the kind of arrangement (Callaway) and his wife have, but he is also a person of power preying on people that need him to work with,” Kay said. “I feel for the women that have to work in this industry where there’s testosterone coursing through clubhouses and locker rooms. And these are people that since they were 10 years old have been the best at what they do and have been catered to and have been given things. They’ve hardly ever been turned out for anything that they’ve wanted, and I think that also applies to the pursuit of women.

“For those that will say, ‘Well, all they have to do is turn down (the advances),’ if you’re covering the Mets and Mickey Callaway is hitting on you and you just turn him down, you’re probably cut off. And that’s why the power structure is so unfair. And it’s not just Mickey Callaway. It happens throughout the sporting world. These men continue to do it, so there must be some people that actually do give in to the advances, which is sad. But maybe they feel there’s no other way to do it, or maybe they like the person. I have no idea.

“But this is how it works in sports: If Mickey Callaway actually did cash in on one of these texts that he sends out, I’m sure he came back and told everybody. ‘See that woman over there!’ … That’s the way it works. It’s a game for them. There’s no love involved. There’s no emotion. It’s a game of conquer.

“So think about the situation that the women in the sport are in. You don’t give it to the advances, you probably have lost the ability to cover the team. That’s number one. Or if you do give into the advance, then everybody in the room will know and you will be painted as someone with loose morals. That’s their choices. You either lose access to somebody that you need to cover, or you lose respect.”

“Mickey Callaway is fungible,” Kay said. “Jared Porter fungible. But what happens when the first big superstar is uncovered to be that guy? Is he fungible? Are they going to force him out of the sport, or is it going to be a simple slap-on-the-wrist suspension? I wonder, because that’s going to happen.

“There’s probably stars out there. There are probably Hall of Famers that have done it. Definitely. Nobody is going to blow the whistle on their brethren. It’s going to be these reporters that finally had enough. ‘That’s it. I’m done. I’m not going to live this way anymore.’ Those are the people that have gone on to uncover it. And they have the receipts because they’ve kept the texts. Idiots! How do people send anything in text that can come back to haunt you?”

Kay, a well-respected figure in the Yankees and the league, thinks that more high-profile sports figures may be exposed in the near future.

“It is going to come raining down on them, ” he said. “Marriages will be ruined. Careers will be ruined. So all the cavalier, macho nonsense that has gone on for decades, it’s about to come to order. There are about to be people that are going to pay the piper and they know it, because they know they’ve been living this.

“Mickey Callaway, he is not the only person. He’s the one that they’ve uncovered, but there are a lot of other people that are probably even worse than him. And they wake up every day and nervously look at their phone because the next stone that drops is going to be on their head. It’s a house of cards that will come tumbling down.”

New York Mets: Mickey Callaway is Not a Mets Issue, It’s a Baseball Issue

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New York Mets, Mets, Mickey Callaway

Just two weeks after the New York Mets fired Jared Porter over unsolicited sexual messages; the same scandal surrounds former manager, Mickey Callaway. Major League Baseball has immediately launched an investigation into the allegations against the Los Angeles Angels pitching coach.

Callaway’s past employment links him with the Mets, but this issue encompasses the entire sport. The degrading responses from men regarding women in sports keep this behavior alive. We also cannot forget about the people with power who misuse it. Victims are afraid to come out and speak their truth for many reasons, one being the lack of action taken to punish the abuser.

Bring in More Qualified Women

After watching Mickey Callaway manage for two seasons, it is easy to say that there are plenty of women who would have been a better manager. The biggest challenge is getting those women the opportunities they deserve. Alyssa Nakken, Kim Ng, and Bianca Smith are the beginning of women receiving prominent baseball positions. Their credentials show they deserve their opportunities, but we can only imagine what they have dealt with on their way up.

Combatting this issue is a team effort. When men see or suspect this behavior taking place, there has to be something done about it. Stepping in, reporting it, or doing more than nothing is a way to fight the issue. Working together to keep predators out of the game will allow it to grow in character. Once Callaway is fired, it will be another person kicked out of the game for good. Hopefully, others are not far behind him.

 

New York Mets: Eduardo Perez vs Tim Bogar

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Simeon Woods-Richardson

Reports suggest the New York Mets are leaning towards hiring Eduardo Perez as their next manager. Other reports say the search is not quite complete. Tim Bogar is still high up on the totem pole of potential managers.

Rumors state Perez could have the job within the next couple of days. Half the teams who were searching for new managers have already made their hirings. It has featured an interesting mix of experienced and brand new managers. The biggest issue surrounding the future Mets manager is the unknown amount of power they will receive.

Mickey Callaway Finds a Job

Former Mets manager Mickey Callaway has moved on to the Angels as their new pitching coach under new manager Joe Maddon. Callaway came into the Mets organization as a “pitching guru” but it never quite showed through his two years in Queens. Callaway played two seasons in LA when Maddon was their bench coach and should be able to help out a weak Angels pitching staff.

The new Mets manager will have an interesting relationship with Brodie Van Wagenen and Jeff Wilpon, much like Callaway. Since Terry Collins was replaced, we have seen their increased involvement in every aspect of the team. This led to Callaway garnering criticism he may not have deserved.

The one thing Van Wagenen and Wilpon will not have any input in is the clubhouse atmosphere. Perez is known for his great character throughout baseball. He has a very extensive background in the game and is one of the best baseball personalities the Mets could interview.

The on field decisions is a different discussion. Perez certainly has the knowledge to manage, but will the front office trust him enough to leave him alone?

 

New York Mets: Jeff Wilpon’s Power Struggle

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New York Mets, Jeff Wilpon

Stop me if you have heard this one before…Jeff Wilpon wants full control over the New York Mets decisions. The COO of the organization looks to hire a manager who falls in line. Instead their aim should be a manager who will do things their own way.

This does not rule out the possible hiring of Joe Girardi or Buck Showalter, which is why they are still receiving interviews. Both managers are guys who want to run the team their own way and leave the front office out of their decision making. This was part of the reason why the Yankees let Girardi go because they wanted someone who would know their place in the organization.

First Year Managers Only?

It is hard to think any veteran manager will simply fall in line with what Wilpon/Brodie Van Wagenen want. Much like Mickey Callaway they will take a chance on a manager without any experience who will follow what he is told. If this is the case, expect another year(s) of futility from the Mets.

This has been the issue since the Wilpons took control of the Mets. Everything has to be done their way and no World Series championships in the last 33 years should show that this is not working. Jeff and Fred Wilpon never worked in baseball outside of owning the team and their baseball opinions are just as good as someone you find on the street. They are single handedly killing their own franchise and their idea that they know best will continue to hold back the franchise.

As the list of candidates settle, the manager who will not be a “yes man” deserves the job. Girardi/Showalter and a potential future hall of famer in Carlos Beltran do not fit that mold. The selected manager will be very telling of what the future of the team will be.

New York Mets: Mickey Callaway Has Been Fired

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New York Mets, Mets

Our long national nightmare is over! The Mets have fired manager Mickey Callaway after two seasons as manager. Callaway was 163-161 with the Mets and was known for his positivity which masked his questionable in game decisions. The last two seasons were marked in disappointment and ignorance which led to the much needed change.

The Mets fired Callaway along with bench coach Jim Riggleman. Callaway still had one year to go on his deal, but it seemed like the walls were caving in on him all season. The first half of the season was a disaster and there were calls for him to be fired in mid-May. The Mets suffered some of the most grueling losses of the season and limped to a 40-50 record at the All-Star break.

Locker Room Commotion

On camera, Callaway was known for his unwavering confidence. After a brutal loss against the Cubs, Callaway uncharacteristically got in the face of reporter Tim Healey after Healey said “see you tomorrow, Mickey.” He told Healey not to be a “smart ass” and then it escalated to a point where Jason Vargas threatened to fight Healey.

That day signified how bad of a tailspin the Mets were in. Callaway seemed lost on handling his bullpen and there were reports of him being controlled like a puppet by Van Wagenen. Despite all of that, his players still fought for him and tried to dig the team out of the deep hole they were in.

Second Half Resurgence

The Mets never felt they were dead and buried. They were 46-26 during the second half and got as close as one game away from a playoff spot. It was too big of a deficit for the Mets to climb out of and they ended up just missing out on the postseason. The renewed confidence had somehow given a new life to the idea of Callaway returning for the 2020 season.

In the end, it seemed like a no brainer to move away from Callaway. He made multiple rookie mistakes over his two seasons at the helm. At times he was over matched and out managed. The best move is to wipe the slate clean, because there is plenty of talent on the roster going into 2020.

What is the next step now? New York is a huge market and the Mets will have high expectations going into 2020. Joe Girardi seems like the easy move, but the Mets are not willing to overpay for a manager. Carlos Beltran and Joe Espada have also emerged on what will likely be a long list of managerial candidates.

Callaway was a hold over from the Sandy Alderson regime. If Van Wagenen picks the wrong guy, it could be the only opportunity he has to hire a manager. For the sake of his future, Brodie should go with the safe option instead of aiming for a home run.

New York Mets: Mickey Callaway Held Out of Organizational Meeting

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New York Mets, Mets

Let the offseason rumors commence! The Mets have not announced a lot of information about their organizational meeting, other than the fact that it is this week. The other big chunk of news is that current manager, Mickey Callaway, will not be in attendance. This could speak volumes about what the future of Callaway looks like.

Excluding Callaway from the meeting will allow each member to speak their mind about his future. This does not necessarily mean Callaway will be fired, but it certainly is not a good sign for his future.

Player’s Manager

Throughout the ups and downs of the season, the players always stood up for Callaway. He had their back in return. Callaway always looked out for his players and brought a positive mindset throughout every situation. Sometimes, we wanted to see a little more fire out of him, but his positivity was one of the strongest parts of his managing. It is why the Mets had a “never say die” mentality and continued to play hard every night.

Where the questions come is with Callaway’s decision making. But seriously, who even knows if a majority of the decisions are his. There have been so many reports about the in game decisions and lineups coming from upstairs. In the end, Callaway ends up being the scape goat.

Has there been plenty of questionable moves? Yes and unless we hear otherwise, the blame has to be put on Callaway.

If the Mets decide to keep him, we will probably see more of what we saw this season. We can give Callaway the benefit of the doubt when it comes to decisions like Edwin Diaz. The Mets kept sending him out to close, when he clearly was no where near his best. Callaway and Phil Regan are experience pitching coaches who would have likely moved Seth Lugo to the closer role much earlier in the season.

Who Are The Replacements?

The replacement of Callaway will have a lot to say about the direction the Mets are heading in. If they hire a hands on manager like Joe Girardi or Joe Maddon, then the reigns of the team will be left to them. Either of those two World Series winnings managers are not going to take in game orders from an agent turned GM.

One of the other interesting variables is to see if anyone will put up with moves coming down from the front office. The top tier managers will not, but someone in Callaway’s situation may put up with it just to have their first managerial job.

The Preferred Pick

If the players love playing for Callaway, they will love playing for Girardi. He has a winning pedigree from his one season in Florida and his years with the Yankees. Girardi found ways to win with below average Yankees teams and he is itching to get back in uniform. It would be a perfect marriage to pair him with the young, growing team in New York.

Callaway’s managerial record is 163-161 through two seasons, compared to 988-794 in Girardi’s 11 seasons. Girardi has a 28-24 record in the postseason, with a 73.4% successful challenge rate compared to no postseason experience and 43.1% from Callaway. The only active manager close to Girardi on challenges is Aaron Boone, who also manages the Yankees. Girardi seems like the no brainer over Callaway.

New York Mets: A Bittersweet Victory

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The Mets came into Wednesday night’s game needing the impossible to happen to keep their season alive. In a blowout victory, headlined by a masterful Jacob deGrom and an offensive onslaught that was overshadowed by the Mets being eliminated from playoff contention.

Jacob deGrom sealed his lock for the NL Cy Young award with his seven shutout innings. He struck out seven and only allowed three baserunners. deGrom finished his season with 23 consecutive scoreless innings and a 2.43 ERA. His last two months of the season have pushed him up the ranks as Hyun-Jin Ryu has not pitched nearly as well as he did early in the season.

Alonso Moves Closer

Pete Alonso blasted a 437-foot home deep in to the left-center field bleachers for his 51st home run. The home run moved him just one behind Aaron Judge for the most by a rookie. Alonso will now have four games to tie and potentially break the rookie home run record. The pitchers he will face though are no pushovers. Alonso will face Jordan Yamamoto, Dallas Keuchel, Mike Foltynewicz and Mike Soroka.

The Mets piled on 10 runs against the Marlins staff, but they lost Jeff McNeil for the rest of the season. He was hit in his wrist with a pitch and it resulted in the wrist being fractured. Despite the season coming to an end, the Mets certainly would have wanted to keep McNeil healthy through the end. In the two prior seasons they have suffered big injuries at the end of the year. Michael Conforto in 2017 and Brandon Nimmo in 2018.

Unfortunately, the Mets were eliminated from postseason contention after the Brewers won. The Mets magnificent second half should not go over looked. Coming out of the All-Star break we all knew the Mets needed a miracle to get back in the race. They went 36-20 in the second half and showed they are able to contend with the top teams in baseball. In 2020, they have to show they can play well from game 1 through game 162.

What Does The Future Look Like?

The Mets finally have a young core that will be in place next season. With the exception of Zack Wheeler, their entire starting rotation is under contract next season. If the Mets can solidify their bullpen, they will put themselves in a prime opportunity to contend for a division crown. Resigning Wheeler also would not hurt either.

The biggest questions lies in management. Mickey Callaway helped lead this team out of the gutter, but he was part of the reason why they played poorly. Callaway wants to stay, but in the end Brodie Van Wagenen will decide if he gets the boot.

New York Mets: Mickey Callaway Rumored to be Let Go After the Season

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New York Mets, Mets

The Mets playoff hopes will be determined through these last handful of games and the future of Mickey Callaway is in his team’s hands. The Mets manager still has another year left in his contract, but his first two years have shown no reason to bring him back.

The organization has been rumored to use these last few games to make their final decision on Callaway’s future. If it is taking this long to figure it out, they have bigger issues than just the manager. Even if the Mets make it to the postseason, there is no guarantee he keeps his job for 2019. During Callaway’s first two seasons, expectations have been extremely high, but not met.

Is All The Blame on Mickey?

GM Brodie Van Wagenen brought in Edwin Diaz, Jed Lowrie and Jeurys Famila who have not produced at all. Robinson Cano also did not get things going until the last couple months of the season. This has played into the Mets failures this season, but this does not lift the blame off of Callaway’s shoulders. It only puts a little padding under it.

The only consistent thing about his tenure as a Mets has been his inconsistent decision making. He will say things that he wants to implement and end up doing the opposite. Who knows who actually makes the in game decisions, but either way the finger is pointed at Callaway after each bad move.

Does He Stay?

The decision is a lot tougher than it seems for the Mets. The players and management seem to love playing for Callaway. His energetic and unwavering optimism is a trait very few managers have. It could be what gives him an opportunity to live out the final year of his contract.

In the end, his decision making is putrid and he needed experience managing at the minor league levels before earning an MLB job. The last handful of games he manages this season should be the final ones he manages as a Met.

New York Mets: Another Day, Another Questionable Mickey Callaway Decision

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New York Mets, Mets

Mets manager Mickey Callaway making a boneheaded decision is as natural as the sky being blue and grass being green. During Sunday’s 10-7 loss against the Phillies, Callaway once against caused Mets fans to scratch their heads. Callaway should not be expected to be perfect all the time, but he at least has to make decisions with some sense behind it.

Pulling Thor Early

After Noah Syndergaard gave up four runs over the last three innings he pitched, Callaway pulled him from the game. He only had 78 pitches thrown and could have gotten the Mets through the sixth to leave it up to Justin Wilson and Seth Lugo to get the final nine outs. Instead, Callaway turned to Paul Sewald and Luis Avilan who allowed the Phillies to score three times in the sixth to take the lead. Even a fatigued Syndergaard was a much better option than Sewald and Avilan at this point of the season.

Callaway then replaced Justin Wilson with Tyler Bashlor after Wilson had 30 pitches in the seventh. Bashlor allowed a walk then a double to the Mets killer Maikel Franco before Callaway make his biggest head scratching move of the game.

Lack of Understanding From Callaway

Andrew Knapp was due up with runners on second and third while the score was 9-6. The pitchers spot was on deck and Bryce Harper was around the bat rack in the Phillies dugout. Callaway decided to walk Knapp to get to Harper who ended up being walked to bring in a run. Whether Harper was available or not, there was no reason to walk a guy who is hitting under .200 over the last two seasons.

Callaway tried to come up with an excuse for why he decided to walk Knapp, but there simply is not one. He assumed Harper was not available and did not have the confidence to get out a .190 hitter. When he could have made the same move to walk Billy Hamilton to get to an actual pitcher during their extra inning loss against the Braves, he pitched to Hamilton who won the game for the Braves.

His days as a manager are hopefully coming to an end along with his chances to make hypocritical decisions day in and day out. If Callaway was consistent in his decision making, he would survive in New York, but he is too unaware as a manager to keep his job with the Mets.

 

New York Mets: The 7-run Ninth Inning In Washington

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New York Mets, Edwin Diaz

Tuesday night’s collapse against the Nationals left Mets fans speechless and it was the final dagger put through what was a disappointing season. It felt like a collapse was incoming, but I did not believe it was actually going to happen.

How Did It Start?

The bullpen was garbage once Seth Lugo left the game. The Mets padded the lead to 10-4 in the top of the ninth, but it was not enough for the bullpen. Bringing in Paul Sewald was move that is hard argue with. A six run lead should have been plenty to protect for him, but he had absolutely nothing on the mound. He only managed to get one out and Luis Avilan needed to pitch.

Avilan is where it went down hill, in terms of Mickey Callaway’s decision making. He was going to face Juan Soto and Matt Adams, the two lefties. Which was good move if Justin Wilson was already used and the Nats were out of right handed hitters. There was no chance Adams was facing a lefty whether Avilan retired Soto or not, especially with Ryan Zimmerman on the bench. Wilson should have been in the game because he can get hitters from both sides of the plate out and has been the team’s second best reliever.

Disappointing Diaz

The entire 2019 season has been a nightmare for Edwin Diaz. He has been in the middle of the worst losses the Mets all season. When he seemed like he was back, he proved it was just a fluke. Diaz came in and allowed Zimmerman to double and then Kurt Suzuki to win it with a three-run walk off home run.

We will get to why Diaz should not have entered the game later on, but lets dissect the Suzuki at-bat. Diaz got ahead with a nasty slider which has become his best pitch again. He followed up with another great slider that just missed away, then one in the dirt. After that one he had no choice but to throw a fastball and missed inside with that one. Diaz threw his best slider with the 3-1 pitch and Suzuki swing right over it.

Going with the 100mph fastball was a good move, especially when it was up in the zone. He had a good swing at that one along with the next one which was a borderline pitch. It was not fooling him and it seemed a slider would be the correct selection based on how the others were thrown in the at-bat. Diaz decided to try to come at him with the 100 mph heat and Suzuki yanked it over the left field fence to in the game. It is understandable to not put the winning run on base, but it would be better to have Eaton hit with the bases loaded against Wilson instead of throwing a fastball that Diaz was not spotting well.

Thankfully Mickey Callaway Will Be Gone Next Season

Diaz should not have been in the high leverage in the season. He had looked so much better lately, but still was not ready for a big moment. Regardless of the name and their past, Justin Wilson is a better pitcher than Edwin Diaz right now. It is not a tough concept to understand especially for someone who was a pitching coach like Callaway. Wilson should have been in the game when Avilan entered and at that point they would have had to live and die with Wilson.

It is tough to see Diaz playing with the Mets in 2020 and they would be better served to avoid using him again this season. They are still in the Wild Card race but it is hard to see them bouncing back from this loss. If Diaz was an average reliever this season, we would be talking about the Mets holding onto one of the Wild Card spots.