Well it looks pretty clear, or really clear, at this point that Lee Mazzilli will not be candidate for the Mets Manager job. It just doesn't seem like its going to happen. Sandy has his plan, I have my own plan, Sandy is a GM with a fantastic resume, I'm a blogger who does this as a hobby and is really a scientist, so in the end, I'll trust Sandy. I guess I'm just bitter my boy didn't get a shot to interview, but I'm happy with the remaining candidates and I'm happy with the new front office, so I'm not going to be upset at it. I had two stories ready to go for an article in case Lee was offered an interview, and I'm not one to waste good pre-writing, so without further ado, here are my two favorite Lee Mazzilli stories.
The first is one that I experienced first hand. When I was in High School, Lee was the manager of the Baltimore Orioles, and held the helm of the last time it felt like the Orioles actually had a shot to make some noise (seriously, that was a feeling back in the beginning of the 21st century). There was one game, it was during interleague play, that would be hard to forget. It was right around the time that the Orioles were starting to slip and the Red Sox and Yankees were roaring. The Orioles were playing the Rockies, for some reason (I'll hold my opinion on Interleague Play) and one of my favorite batters (also for no reason in particular) was at the plate: Chris Gomez. Gomez took a pitch and sent it right the left field corner. Was it a homer? Did it curl foul? The umpire called it foul and then Lee just went off. Also important to note is at the time, I would say because he was a New Yorker but I'm biased, he was losing the public opinion. Well Lee let the umpire have it. He argued for a while on the field, got his money's worth, and then went back into the dugout. He then proceeded to pick up the box holding the bubblegum and tossed it all over the field. The crowd loved it, and loved him for the day.
By the way, the ball was foul.
My other favorite Lee Mazzilli story was one that I didnt experience first hand. I wasn't even close to be being born yet. Thankfully, I was able to experience it thanks to the fantastic book The Bad Guys Won, By Jeff Pearlman:
“As Mazzill's Q-rating increased, his attitude went polar. He pouted when, to make room for Wilson, manager Joe Torre made him play first base or a corner outfield position, and he irked older teammates by strutting around the stadium like a ten-year veteran. Cazeneuve, the batboy turned right fielder remembers sitting at a table in the clubhouse before a Spring Training game, quietly eating an egg and imitation bacon sandwich, when out nowhere Mazzilli picked it up and took a big bite. ” What's this shit?” he mumbled. Cazeneuve, a vegetarian, explained to Mazzilli that it was homemade and healthy. “Okay,” said Mazzilli. “If that's the case” He then shoved the entire sandwich in his mouth leaving Cazeveuve stunned.”
I'm not sure what it is about that story, but it always makes me laugh.
