Greetings fellow Mets fans:  This weekend, beginning Friday I will be attending two of the three Subway Series games at Yankee stadium (first time).  For Friday's game, I will be sitting down the 3rd base line just beyond the bag.  For Saturday's game I will be around the right field foul pole, lower level.   I'm incredibly stoked because both teams are playing good ball and both the Mets and Yankees may be in first place by Friday.  

     I first visited NYC in May of '98 and had a fabulous time.  My most recent visit was this past winter and it wasn't so grand.  But it wasn't NYC's fault.  ...I digress.  Friday night's game is at 7:05pm and Saturday's game is at 1:05pm.  I'll be leaving Sunday at 3:00pm.   Two questions:  1. What are the "do's" and "don'ts" of being a Mets fan at Yankee Stadium? (Should be obvious, but you never know).  2. Any recommendations for breakfast spots around Lexington and 37th? 

     Any other rec's are welcomed.  Thanks guys and gals.

     On Sunday, June 13th, Washington National's pitcher, Stephen Strasburg found an opponent more difficult than any Cleveland Indian's batter (with the exception of Travis "Pronk" Hafner).  That opponent?  The pitcher's mound at Progressive Park.  On numerous occasions, Strasburg found himself losing his footing when planting his left foot on the bottom of the mound toward home plate. 

     At numerous times during his 5 1/3 innings pitched, Strasburg's frustration grew due to the fact that he was losing confidence in his ability to come down on his left foot due to the mound's deteriorating conditions.  At one point during the contest, Strasburg had what most would refer to as a pretty serious slip after planting his left foot on a mound that had already been repaired once during the game.

     Everyone understands how valuable Strasburg is and no one wants to see his season, nor his career marred by something as silly as the quality of a pitcher's mound.  Now, I'm not here blaming the grounds keeper's of Progressive Park for manufacturing a pitcher's mound of poor quality.  Hell, who am I to criticize anything or anyone with regards to baseball considering my lack of scope in this beautiful sport?  After all, I'm just a casual fan of a few teams and baseball in general.

     The reason for my interest in writing about Strasburg's difficulty with the mound is because I noticed him having similar issues during his debut at National's park.  Granted, they weren't to the extent of the issues he had at Progressive, but I did notice he had a tendency to shuffle the dirt with his foot when walking back up to the top of the mound.  Then again, most pitchers usually shuffle and pack the dirt on the landing area from time to time. Be that as it may he seems to have issues with regards to the landing area of the pitcher's mound.  I wondered if it has something to do with the quality of the mound, the impact that his body has on the mound or is it something "he" is doing?  Perhaps it's all three.

     Since the creation of pitcher's boxes in the late 1800's (pitching ‘mounds' didn't come into effect until 1903 in which they were set at 15 inches high - hence mound) they have been primarily comprised of the following components mixed in specific proportions: Hard clay 50%, sand 40%, silt 10%.  Those proportions are what are utilized to build the base of the mound.  A different proportional mix for the upper portion of the mound is: Soft clay 60%, sand 30%, and silt at 10%.

     I have no idea what proportion of Progressive Park's pitching mound consists of clay, sand or silt.  Nor do I have any idea what proportions other ballparks in MLB  utilize to build their mounds.  You'd expect them to be universal, no?  During my limited research I did find out that an inordinate amount of sand in the mixture will (especially in hot and dry conditions) reduce the amount of ‘clay adhesion' (my phrase) in not only the pitching mound, but also the infield base paths that the base runners utilize when running the bases.

     During the broadcast Rob (or Bob) on MASN mentioned that the humidity in the air probably plays a factor with regards to how well the pitching mound holds up.  I don't know how much credence to put into that, but recognizing that clay can swell as described here by the U.S. Geological Survey, maybe they're onto something.  But understanding that clay usually only swells (perhaps reducing its ability to help the cleats grip the clay) at depths of ten feet and deeper, maybe they're ‘not' onto something.

     Aside from the quality of the mound and what it is made of there's something else that should be considered.  The effect that Strasburg himself has on the mound.  After watching highlight clips from both starts against Pittsburgh and Cleveland I noticed that Strasburg has a tendency to "corkscrew" the ball of his left foot into the dirt after the completion of his pitch.  Sometimes it's more prominent than others.  It was much more prominent during the Indian's game as opposed to the Pirates game.  After comparing how his foot lands as opposed to other pitchers, Strasburg's landing AND completion is somewhat different.  From my limited research, I've noticed that most other pitchers land completely flat footed and do not twist (corkscrew) their foot once they are finished. 

     In addition to the corkscrew effect, both he and David Huff were placing their plant foot in approximately the same location, and as a result chewing up the bottom portion of the mound.  You might ask: "How is this possible if Strasburg is right handed and Huff is left handed?"  Both of the pitchers line up on the left side of the rubber (looking AT home plate); but Huff even more so than Strasburg.  The result?  Two feet disturbing the same area and possibly reducing the ability to withstand the impact of Strasburg's force and weight.

     Lastly, I was curious; who in MLB might have this same kind of ‘disturbing' impact on the landing portion of the mound?  I thought that a heavier and/or more forceful pitcher might be the answer.  Strasburg stands at 6'4" and weighs 220lbs.  C.C. Sabathia stands at 6'7" and weighs 290lbs. (Big boy huh?).  Surely Sabathia impacts the dirt with more force and/or disturbance than Strasburg.  But, not really. (Of note: David Huff stands at 6'2" and 215lbs).  After viewing a number of pitches by Sabathia, his plant foot lands pretty much flat like most other pitchers. (There were a few corkscrew completions, but not many).  Strasburg?  Tends to land pretty much on the ball of his foot and twists after completion of the pitch. 

     If you've made it this far, thank you and God bless.  Hopefully it will shine some light on the problem Strasburg had and may have in the future.  I don't purport to be an expert on what materials are utilized to manufacture pitching mounds.  It is one difficult subject in which to find information on. It will be interesting to see whether or not Strasburg has similar difficulty in Nationals Park or anywhere else.  I guarantee the grounds crew at Nationals Park will be doing their utmost to ensure the best possible conditions for Strasburg.   

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Ah yes.  It's a dreary, rainy, cold morning here in the nation's capital.  I'm up after a mediocre night's sleep.  I thought I would sleep better after watching the first installment of Ken Burn's "Baseball". Don't worry, his documentary is not what effected my sleep.  As a matter of fact, his documentary was some of the better television I've seen in a long, long time.  In fact, did you know that "purists" of the game derided the curve ball when it was first introduced?  Ha!

So, after a scrumptious plate of scrambled eggs w/cheese, bacon and a glass of orange juice (New Year's resolution be damned) I opened up the Washington Post while XM's; The First Team on Fox w/Steve Czeban sarinaded me in the background.  Ah!  What's this?  News on the Nationals, Manny Acta specifically...

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