From Keith Hernandez, the late and lamented Gary ("The Kid") Carter and Paul O'Neill to Carl Pavano, Bobby Bonilla and Kei Igawa, these are New York baseball names that will be celebrated forever, or remembered in infamy.
They are also among the many subjects vetted by the latest edition of MSG's three-time New York Emmy Award-winning baseball series, The Lineup. Hosted by veteran broadcaster and former Yankees catcher Fran Healy, "The Lineup: Hits & Errors - The Best and Worst Deals in New York Baseball" takes an in-depth look at the trades and free agency signings throughout the history of the Bronx Bombers and their Queens counterparts, the New York Mets.
First pitch on the eight new half-hours is 10 p.m. on Sunday March 11, beginning with "Mets Best Trades." New installments will premiere each night through March 18 on the regional sports network (see schedule below).
Healy, along with a panel comprising baseball uber agent Scott Boras, retired three-time World Series-winning manager Tony La Russa and baseball historian and author David Kaplan, will present and examine five nominations before collectively deciding on the top candidate in each of these seven categories: "Mets Best Trades, "Yankees Best Trades," "Worst Trades - Yankees and Mets," "Yankees Best Free Agent," "Mets Best Free Agent," Yankees Worst Free Agent," and "Mets Worst Free Agent." During the eighth episode, the panel, whose members gathered at an event to promote the show at MSG studios on March 5, will discuss the current state of the game of baseball.
"We've gathered some of the best minds in baseball for our panel and talked to some of the game's most exciting legends and personalities to rank the best and worst deals in New York baseball history," said Dan Ronayne, executive vice president and general manager of MSG Networks, in announcing the show. "The topic has been discussed among friends and rivals for generations and we hope the show's analysis will encourage even more baseball talk in New York."
In addition to the aforementioned players, the debates will center around Tom Seaver, Jay Buhner, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Roger Maris, Pedro Martinez, Gil Hodges, Alex Rodriguez, David Cone, Carlos Beltran, Sparky Lyle, Nolan Ryan, Lenny Dykstra, Robin Ventura, Tom Glavine and Hideki Irabu, among others.
The show will include original interviews with a number of the Big Apple's most famous former baseball stars, managers, coaches and executives, including Seaver, Ryan, Reggie Jackson, Ralph Kiner, Jim Palmer, Tommy Lasorda, Bobby Valentine, Piazza, Gene Michael, Tony Kubek and Lou Piniella.
"Trades have been a talking point of baseball fans since the infancy of the game and free agency added another layer to the debate in the late 60s," said Healy. "And in New York City, where the passion is greater than anywhere else, the arguments about the best and worst deals can get pretty heated."
The Lineup's lineup:
Sunday, March 11: "Mets Best Trades" (10:00 p.m.)
Monday, March 12: "Yankees Best Trades" (11:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, March 13: "Worst Trades - Mets & Yankees (10:30 p.m.)
Wednesday, March 14: "Yankees Best Free Agent" (10:30 p.m.)
Thursday, March 15: "Mets Best Free Agent" (10:00 p.m.)
Friday, March 16: "Yankees Worst Free Agent" (10:30 p.m.)
Saturday, March 17: "Mets Worst Free Agent" (10:00 p.m.)
Sunday, March 18: "The State of Baseball" (9:30 p.m.)
