Mike Puma, the New York Post’s veteran Mets beat reporter, created buzz in a recent column when he wrote about dissension in the Mets clubhouse. Puma specifically cited shortstop Francisco Lindor as being the focal point of the maelstrom. He pointed out issues Lindor had with Jeff McNeil and Juan Soto.
According to Puma, Lindor had words with McNeil on June 20 when a ball got through the infield during a game with the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Those two have had an up-and-down relationship ever since Lindor was traded to the Mets from Cleveland in 2021. They had that infamous flare-up in the runway tunnel connecting the Mets dugout and clubhouse. Rather than admit what triggered the disagreement, they claimed they were debating whether they saw a rat or a raccoon scurrying across Citi Field.
I would not pay much attention to what happened in Philadelphia last June. The Mets were in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, and tensions were obviously simmering. The Mets won the next night, and that quelled matters. In retrospect, that losing streak was a harbinger of what the 2025 season would become.
Puma described a frosty relationship existing between Lindor and the team’s biggest off-season acquisition last year, Juan Soto. From his reporting, it did not appear there was any enmity between the two Mets stars, but rather they have disparate personalities and interests.
Lindor is an extrovert who enjoys collaborating with American corporations. He has endorsement deals with New Balance, Oakley, and Franklin Sports, and last year filmed commercials for Dunkin’ Donuts and PNC Bank.
Soto prefers to concentrate strictly on his lucrative baseball career. Despite his fame, he prefers to avoid the New York social scene and the commercial opportunities which he could easily have.
The most surprising aspect of Mike Puma’s article was the topic of a future Mets captaincy. That honorary position has been vacant ever since David Wright retired in 2018. Many consider Francisco Lindor to have that role. Lindor would love to be officially named team captain, so it raised eyebrows when Juan Soto told Puma he considered Starling Marte to be the team’s captain.
The 36-year-old Mets outfielder would ostensibly be an odd choice to be thought of as the team leader, but I concur with Soto’s assessment. Marte enjoys greeting fans with a warm smile. He makes it a point to go on the field well before gametime to speak with reporters who are denied clubhouse access by the Mets media relations department.
He is always candid. Most ballplayers will never admit they are injured. In 2024, Marte told me in Spanish he was far from 100% because of groin issues. He was soldiering on because he did not want to let either his employer, or his teammates, down.
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Although he was not mentioned in Mike Puma’s article, Brandon Nimmo, who had been with the Mets for a decade, and was a fan favorite, also wanted to be named the team’s captain. I believe a key reason he agreed to waive his no-trade clause and accept moving to the Texas Rangers was that neither he, nor Mets President of Baseball Operations, David Stearsn, believed he had a constituency in the current team’s clubhouse.
David Stearns was well-aware the Mets bullpen was a dumpster fire, except for closer Edwin Diaz, in 2025. Diaz is currently a free agent, and it is far from certain as to whether he will re-sign with the Mets.
Devin Williams, who had been one of the best closers in baseball through 2024, endured an uneven, though not disastrous, 2025 after being traded to the Yankees from the Milwaukee Brewers last winter. Stearns is quite familiar, and obviously comfortable, with Williams from his days as the Brewers GM, and he signed him to a three-year, $50 million contract last week. Considering the Baltimore Orioles signed Ryan Helsley, who was a bust for the Mets during the team’s ill-fated playoff push after being acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals at the end of July, to a two-year, $28 million contract, Stearns did not overpay for his old closer.
The major topic of discussion on WFAN last week was the return of Craig Carton to oversee afternoon drivetime when 2026 begins. Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber will shift to the 10 AM to 2 PM slot. The “BT & Sal” midday show appears to be the odd one out. The conventional wisdom is Sal Licata will shift to either evenings or late night. Brandon Tierney’s fate at the radio station is less clear.
The brash Carton is a top-notch entertainer although he is far from a sports savant. He is a perfect radio host in this age of social media hot takes where media outlets like to post the outrageous in the hopes of generating clicks.
I feel bad for Sal Licata because it was clear he was saying things I doubt he really believed on his radio show as a favor to social media executives at WFAN. He would never utter them in his more measured role as the host of SNY’s “Baseball Night in New York.” He subtly admitted to that a few times on “BNNY.”
In a move which did not generate any media buzz, WPIX removed its daily 7 PM in-depth “New York Sports Nation Nightly” from its schedule. Hosts Marc “The Moose” Malusis and former Mets pitcher Nelson Figueroa were terrific co-hosts.
It will be a homecoming for University of Connecticut assistant men’s basketball coach/ director of player development Mamadou Diarra when the Huskies take part in Tuesday’s annual Jimmy V Classic to be held at Madison Square Garden. Diarra grew up in Corona and attended IS 127. The proceeds from the yearly December college doubleheader benefit the V Foundation for Cancer Research. This medical research nonprofit was started by the late college coaching legend Jim Valvano, who like Diarra, was born in Corona.
Speaking of the world’s most famous arena, MSG’s children’s nonprofit arm, the Garden of Dreams, held its twelfth annual Garden of Dreams Week last week. The beneficiaries of the Garden of Dreams Foundation are children who are facing medical or financial obstacles. Last week, several of them got to meet current and past Knicks and Rangers players such as Jalen Brunson and Henrik Lundqvist.
The Heisman Trophy Award ceremony will take place this Saturday at Manhattan’s Frederick P. Rose Hall near Lincoln Center. Jets fans, well-aware their team desperately needs a franchise QB, will be interested. Those in the running for college football’s highest individual honor should include top quarterbacks as Indiana University’s Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State’s Justin Sayin, and Alabama’s Ty Simpson.
The show will air on ABC instead of ESPN for the first time in memory, and it will air at 7 PM instead of the customary 8 PM.
HBO last week launched the latest in its “Hard Knocks” series with “Hard Knocks; The NFL East.” New episodes air Tuesdays at 9 PM. Giants fans would be wise to avoid tuning in.
Hulu announced it was renewing “Chad Powers,” which stars Glen Powell as a disgraced college quarterback who dons a disguise and alters his identity to get a second chance at a pro career. The original Chad Powers character was created by Eli Manning who played a walk-on at a Penn State Nittany Lions tryout for his ESPN Plus series, “Eli’s Places.”
Professional wrestling continues to be a hot item for cable networks and streaming services. AMC Networks announced it would be showing “Impact!” from the TNA Wrestling promotion. TNA stands for “Total Nonstop Action.”
Finding an open tennis, pickleball, racquetball, or squash court has never been an easy endeavor. A pair of New York entrepreneurs, Daren Hornig, and Kate Daggett, frequently experienced those frustrations and decided to do something about it. They have created a smartphone app called CourtsApp which allows users to make reservations for racquet sports court time which involve minimal waiting. The app is free for users.
The annual New York Produce Show took place at Javits Center last week. At the seminars I attended, growers said that hot-button current events topics such as tariffs and ICE raids have negatively impacted their businesses. On a more positive note, food industry leaders said that improved packaging, and the use of technology to create more disease-resistant foods, have improved food safety.
Eating healthy is everyone’s concern. Walnuts and avocados are both rich in omega-e fatty acids and fiber which improve cardiac and gut health. Walnuts also contain melatonin which helps you get to sleep. They should be stored in refrigerators to maximize their nutrient benefits.
Getting hardcore sports fans to consume fruits and vegetables has long been difficult. Avocados from Mexico signed on as a sponsor for the College Football Playoff. It showed a replica of the college football championship trophy at its booth. Crunch Time, a western New York State apple grower and distributor, hired Buffalo Bills All-Pro running back James Cook to be their spokesman. A company rep laughed when she told me her company did not even think about approaching Bills QB Josh Allen who is seen these days on many television commercials for national brands.
Bronx-based Baldor Foods used the NY Produce Show as a way of reintroducing its Urban Roots line of packaged, ready-to-eat, fruits, which include its delicious pineapple mango salsa.
The Plant-Based World Expo was next door to the NY Produce Show at Javits Center. The Coke and Pepsi of that food industry, Impossible Foods and Beyond Meats, had big booths, but there were plenty of startups who were promoting plant-based seafood as imitation salmon and shrimp.
You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy Hanukkah delicacies. Among my favorites are Joyva’s Jell-Rings, Halvah, and Marshmallow Puffs, as Manischewitz’s coconut and peppermint patties. Hanukkah begins this Sunday evening.
Listen up, soft drink fans. Pepsi-Cola, which introduced its Wild Cherry & Cream Soda line in cans, earlier this year, is about to roll out 20-oz. bottles.
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