Mets fire hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant Tom Slater

After a Monday night loss to the Cardinals, the Mets fired hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant hitting coach Tom Slater.
Through the early weeks of the season the Mets bats have fallen remarkably short of high expectations, as New York entered the season with one of their best lineups in recent years.
The most obvious issue in the lineup is the bat of the Mets’ most expensive player. Through the first weeks of the season, Francisco Lindor’s production at the plate has been abysmal.
The star SS has shown off his immense defensive ability, but at the plate fans are still waiting to see results as he hits under .170 with one HR and three RBI.
The fans aren’t the only ones waiting, as Lindor is well aware of his struggles at the dish, even with premature boos coming down from a handful of reactive fans.
“They expect results, I expect results and I get it,” said Lindor. “I just hope they cheer and jump on the field when I start hitting home runs and help the team on a daily basis”
Those home runs and big results can’t come sooner for Lindor, who extended his hitless streak to 21 at bats on Monday. It’s the second-worst streak in his career and it’s tough to see New York’s newest star struggling so badly in his first season.
The struggles are in no way limited to Lindor, as a familiar issue is again plaguing the Mets offense. Just like in the past few years, the Mets have shown absolutely no ability to hit with runners on base.
Situational hitting has seemingly been an afterthought in the early season, as the Mets again rank near the bottom of the league in batting average with runners in scoring position.
The lack of hitting with runners on is translating to other team stats like runs per game. New York also ranks second-worst in the league at just 3.3, a disturbing sight for a team who can barely provide run support for dominant pitchers like Jacob deGrom and Marcus Stroman.
With 10 of their first 23 games settled by 1 run, the Mets may only need a few small tweaks to win more close games. If the Mets come up big just one or two more times per game, the close losses can easily turn into close wins.
Following a 2-1 loss in Philadelphia last Friday, the Mets averaged 6 runs over their next three games. A 5-4 win evened the series before New York took the rubber game 8-7. In their first game in St Louis, the Mets put up a solid five runs in a 6-5 loss.
With the Mets finally scoring runs, the next couple of weeks will be huge if the Mets want to take advantage of the underperforming NL East, with no teams able to stay over .500 so far.
Now is the time for the Mets to get going, as there is no clear frontrunner for the division. The bats are heating up and pitching has remained relatively strong, so if New York can keep positive momentum, they should be able to leave this team-wide slump behind them.
Taking over as hitting coach is Hugh Quattlebaum, with Kevin Howard taking over as assistant. Quattlebaum was hired by the Mariners in 2018 and the front office change may be the spark that reignites the Mets offense.

Capitals’ Tom Wilson avoids suspension for hits on Rangers

Capitals winger Tom Wilson avoided a hefty punishment for his dirty hits to Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin in a scrap with the Rangers.
In the second period with New York up 3-2, a play at Washington’s net led to a scrap between the two teams. With Buchnevich lying on the ice defenseless, Wilson gave the Rangers forward a few cheap shots to the head.
The scrum continued with Ryan Strome pulling Wilson off of Buchnevich, before Panarin jumped in to pull the two apart.
Wilson turned to Panarin, wrestling the Rangers’ star’s helmet off before throwing him down to the ice head-first.
Video seemed to show Wilson grabbing Panarin’s hair as he pulled him down, though upon review the NHL Department of Player Safety said they found no definitive evidence.
After the chaos, Wilson was assessed a 10-minute misconduct, though Panarin and were also penalized for two minutes each.
“We all saw it,” said Rangers head coach David Quinn following the game. “There are lines that can’t be crossed in this game. There’s just zero respect for the game in general.”
Quinn was not the only member of the Rangers to speak up after the game. Star center Mika Zibanejad also had words for Wilson.
“I figure you should have more respect for the game and for the players. It’s just horrible,” he remarked.
On Tuesday, the announcment came regarding Wilson’s punishment. While many expected a heft suspension as the incident is far from Wilson’s first, he walked away with a single $5,000 fine for the cheap shot on Buchnevich.
The decision is strange given the severity of the hits, though given the NHL’s track record regarding suspensions and discipline, it’s not the first time it’s happened.
Wilson is no stranger to suspensions, picking up four over the span of just over 100 games played. Wilson was also given a 7-game suspension earlier this year after a brual hit on Boston’s Brandon Carlo that sent the Bruins defenseman to the hospital for a night.
It seems despite Wilson’s constant dangerous play and refusal to clean up his game, the NHL is prioritizing money over player safety and the integrity of the game.
With the Rangers and Capitals facing off again Wednesday night on national TV and Washington poised for another deep postseason run, Wilson is sure to make plenty more appearances on primetime television.
To rub salt in the wound, the Rangers were officially eliminated from postseason contention as Washington came back to win 6-3.
Monday’s game was also the last of the year for Panarin, who left with a lower body injury after serving his penalty. Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren are also out for the final games of the year.
Even with a handful of players out for New York, the final games of the year can give young stars a change to keep improving before next year.
The Rangers rebuild seems to be over, though this young team still needs more experience, and possibly a bit more fight and grit as they look to fine tune their roster with a big offseason ahead.

QBFC names Adam Schneider as club president

Queensboro FC announced construction of a new stadium in Queens last week, and the incoming USL club is continuing to take strides as they prepare for their inaugural season next year. In an announcement Monday, Queensboro announced the appointment of Adam Schneider as the club’s president.
Schneider is an experienced sports and entertainment executive with a hearty resume including work with the Detroit Pistons and Lollapalooza Music Festival, and now the Queens native is bringing his talents to his home borough’s next big project.
Schneider spent six and a half years as the head of entertainment at Palace Sports & Entertainment, which operated the Pistons’ home arena and a few Detroit amphitheaters.
Over his time in Michigan, Schneider and Palace Sports & Entertainment helped orchestrate the Pistons’ return to downtown Detroit, a big project to help revitalize the heart of the city.
Palace Sports & Entertainment orchestrated over 150 events annually between the Pistons home games and various events at the arena and amphitheaters. Well over one million people attended events each year.
With Lollapalooza, Schneider played an instrumental role in laying the groundwork for the music festival. Schneider set up the blueprints for the event, which are still used today and have been replicated by other music festivals and similar events.
Over these two career stops, Schneider helped generate over $1 billion in total revenue, showcasing his talent as a sports and business executive.
Given his track record, it’s clear that Schneider is a perfect candidate to help Queensboro FC’s big first projects. With a 7,500-seat stadium to be built over this year and the next, having a seasoned executive on board like Schneider will put this project in safe hands.
“We are delighted to have Adam join the Queensboro FC family, and we welcome him back to the world’s borough,” said QBFC owner Jonathan Krane. “Adam’s track record of success, business acumen, and commitment to building diverse teams and partnerships will greatly benefit the development of an innovative sporting organization, and breakthrough fan experiences.”
“I look forward to helping Queensboro FC become a benchmark sports and entertainment organization in Queens and New York City, both on and off the field,” said Schneider. “The shared live sports experience is priceless and irreplaceable, and we are dedicated to bringing people together to celebrate culture and community through Queensboro FC.”
For the incoming club, things did not start smoothly. The COVID pandemic derailed the initial plans to start the club in 2021, pushing their pro debut back one year.
Still, the club moved ahead with other big projects. Their early involvement with the community has led to strong bonds before the team even kicks off in Queens.
The long-awaited project to bring pro soccer to Queens is finally in motion, and with the right additions to the club’s growing front office, Queensboro FC is taking strides in the right direction.

A Different Draft

For one of the football teams in town, the draft provided little-to-no drama, playing out the way you thought it would a week ago.
It was the worst-kept secret for the last two months that the Jets were selecting Zach Wilson out of BYU as their next quarterback.
Wilson’s baby face and outward charisma will be touted in commercials and on billboards across the Big Apple in the months ahead.
Media attention for a rookie quarterback in New York City is par for the course, however the plan of attack for the Jets in building around this particular rookie quarterback is drastically different than the way they built around their prior rookie quarterback in Sam Darnold.
The Jets did a terrible job of surrounding their last quarterback with offensive talent.
Clearly, Jets general manager Joe Douglas wanted to avoid the mistakes of the past. The Jets traded up for an offensive tackle in the middle portion of the first round.
They drafted a wide receiver in the second round, and they added a running back in the later rounds.
The message from top to bottom was simple: we are going to do our best to set up a rookie quarterback in the best position imaginable.
Can I tell you for sure that in five years the Jets will be a competent, well-run organization? Of course not, but the plan in place is certainly set up for success.
For the other football team in town, the drama was all about a draft-day narrative that was squashed for good after Friday night.
In the days leading up to the NFL Draft, Giants general manager Dave Gettelman heard a pretty basic critique of his draft day strategy: “when will Dave Gettelman trade down in a draft?”
It was a fair question considering that Gettleman in his years running both the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants has never traded out of a draft pick to accumulate more assets.
In 2021, it seems like hell may be freezing over. Dave Gettelman not once, but twice traded down.
When the Giants missed out on the chance to land Alabama standout wide receiver Devonta Smith, the team made a practical move.
The Giants identified the Chicago Bears as a quarterback needy team and worked out a deal to acquire the Bears first-round pick next year plus additional assets.
In addition, the Giants found themselves in a similar position in the second round of the draft. They traded back with the Miami Dolphins and picked up their third round pick next year.
The Giants landed Florida Wide Receiver Kadarius Toney and Georgia edge rusher Azeez Ojulari, who should both fill obvious needs for the team.
It’s a win-win for the Giants, because they are also set up next year with a bundle of draft picks, a bundle of draft picks that could be used to build around Daniel Jones or to land the franchise’s next quarterback.
I look forward to grading these draft results in the years to come, but I know this, draft day was certainly done differently in New York this time around.

You can listen to me on my new podcast “New York, New York” on the Ringer Podcast Network which can be found on both Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

New exhibit at Queens Museum examines truth

In Strange But True, a new exhibit opening at the Queens Museum, artist Sydney Shen takes a look at the construction of truth and methodologies used to establish facts, focusing on photographic documentation practices and their power to shape culture norms.
In her work, the New York-based artist often creates sculptures and environments that commingle historical and contemporary symbols.
For her new solo exhibition, she explores various photographic techniques, juxtaposing early medical photographs with contemporary forms, like closed-circuit television, to cull a visual vocabulary focused on our voyeuristic sensibilities of “othered bodies.”
Literally a sideways world, Strange But True is an immersive installation that blurs the line between amusing and sinister, using the distance of metafiction in conjunction with optical manipulations to demonstrate that the study of evidence can never offer a complete and unbiased picture.
Strange But True was in part inspired by Shen’s interest in the philosopher Georges Bataille, whose writings on macabre and taboo subjects have long been a touchstone for her. With this exhibition, Shen contends with a friction that arises between her alignment with Bataille’s sensibilities, and the factual inaccuracies that his assertions can leverage and sustain, from his Western White male gaze.
Bataille was transfixed by photos of “lingchi,” an obsolete Chinese method of execution, also known as “death by a thousand cuts.” He heralded it as a rare depiction of a person in a spiritual state of rapturous suffering.
“Bataille’s flawed interpretation shaped assumptions still held today about Chinese culture, religion, and society,” said Shen. “This leads me to wonder how I can reconcile my relation to these photographs and Bataille, when my own racial selfhood is subject to — perhaps even influenced by — the gaze that the discourse around these photos has perpetuated?”
The role of photography in pathologizing bodies is also connected to the culture of world expositions, which dating back to the 19th century notoriously presented both official and unofficial exhibitions of marginalized bodies, such as foreign peoples, women, and the disabled, as curiosities to be consumed.
The two New York World’s Fairs of 1939-40 and 1964-65 were no exception: the fairgrounds were surrounded by plentiful adult amusements, including sideshows and peep shows, voyeuristic invitations that are inextricably linked to the mechanics and aesthetics of photographic technology.
Both fairs liberally deployed spectacle to promote an unrelenting optimism toward technological innovation.
The 1939-40 Fair celebrated the 100th anniversary of photography and featured an entire pavilion dedicated to the Eastman Kodak Co., where, among elaborate installations, fairgoers were first introduced to Kodachrome color film, billed as a surefire way to “capture life, just as you see it.”

Strange But True is organized by assistant curator Sophia Marisa Lucas and is on view April 28 through August 22.

Borough Hall dubbed ‘One Claire Shulman Way’

When Claire Shulman passed away last August at the age of 94, Queens lost one of its greatest advocates. However, the legacy of the borough’s trailblazing first female borough president continues to live on and inspire.
This past Monday, Borough President Donovan Richards presided over a ceremony unveiling “One Claire Shulman Way” as the vanity address of Borough Hall.
“Claire Shulman was a larger-than-life figure who consistently defied expectations with her uncanny ability to get things done for the people of Queens,” said Richards. “Her death last year was a huge loss to all of us who relied on her friendship and counsel, but we keep her legacy and memory alive by permanently and prominently affixing her name to Queens Borough Hall.
“From now on, everyone who visits the people’s house will see the name of Claire Shulman and reflect on the great work she did to build a better Queens,” he added.
Shulman was one of the first people to get behind Richards’ campaign for borough president.
“Claire Shulman was my unofficial campaign manager,” Richards said. “I can’t believe she supported me.”
Shulman served as Borough President from 1986 until 2002, and played a role in a wide range of issues.
Her accomplishments included the rezoning of dozens of neighborhoods to curb overdevelopment, expanding the borough’s infrastructure, and increasing funding to senior citizen centers, cultural programs and libraries.
“She expected a lot out of me and she expected a lot out of everyone,” explained Larry Schulman, the son of the late borough president. “She could not give up the task of making Queens a better place.”
Former borough president and current Queens district attorney Melinda Katz echoed similar sentiments.
“Claire was a loving person, there was no doubt about it, but she was tough,” said Katz. “I am proud of the years I had working under her and the years I had working with her.”
Taking part in the ceremony were former borough president Sharron Lee and City Council members Karen Koslowitz and Barry Grodenchik.
“There is B.C. Queens and A.C. Queens, before Claire Shulman and after Claire Shulman” said Grodenchik. “There is not a single neighborhood she didn’t touch.”

Large rally in Queens protests attack on Asians

Amid rising attacks on Asians, more than 1,000 people took to the streets in Flushing calling for an end to Asian hate crimes.
The event was organized by the Borough President’s Office.
Mayor Bill de Blasio reminded everyone of the important role Asian Americans have played in shaping the city.
“If you love New York City, you can’t take the contribution of the Asian-American community out of it,” he said. “The only way we are New York City today is because of what Asian Americans have done for us.”
Senator Chuck Schumer spoke of a city of diversity, immigrants and unity and discussed the recently passed “COVID–19 Hate Crimes Act,” which among other things will make the reporting of hate crimes easier.
“We want to tell those evil few who propagate the Asian hate that you are not new Yorkers, you are not Americans and under the new law we passed we will prosecute you and give you the punishment you deserve,” he told the crowd.
Calling for a unified front against the attacks, Reverend Al Sharpton urged all community leaders to speak out and stop the violence.
“When Blacks attack Asians, Black leaders need to stand up,” he said. “When whites attack others, whites need to stand up.”
State Senator John Liu became emotional discussing reports of passersby refusing to intervene in some of the attack. He said it made him wonder if Asians are seen as less than human.
“We are not dogs,” he said. “We are not the coronavirus. We are people, we are human, we are Americans.”
According to the NYPD, in 2020 there was a 1,900 percent increase in attacks on Asians. But a presentative from the Asian American Federation said the statistics represent a huge undercount because many attack go unreported by the victims out of fear of retaliation or that they won’t be taken seriously.
The office of Attorney General Letitia James created a Hate Crimes Task Force to combat the crisis.
“Please do not be silent because you are not alone,” she said. “All of us stand with you against Asian hate.”

Federal funds offer lifeline to hospitality industry

More than $28 billion in pandemic-relief grants are now available to restaurants, bars and food suppliers, thanks to a new SBA Restaurant Revitalization Fund.
Online applications opened May 3 at noon, and will remain open until all funds are exhausted.
“These grants are going to provide direct aid to hospitality businesses that have suffered great losses throughout our country and especially here in the epicenter of the epicenter in Queens,” said Queens Chamber of Commerce president & CEO Tom Grech, who was joined last week by elected officials and other business leaders in Flushing to kick off the federal effort.
Congresswoman Grace Meng, who helped secure the grant program through the newly enacted American Rescue Plan, is encouraging Queens businesses to apply.
“Queens deserves more because we have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus,” she said. “We need to make sure that our restaurants get their fair share back.”
Before the pandemic, there were 23,000 restaurants and bars throughout the five boroughs providing more than 300,000 jobs. According to the state Comptroller’s Office, employment in the city’s restaurant industry fell to 91,000 in April, with sales plummeting more than 70 percent.
“It’s essential for us to support and enact policies to help these businesses in their time of need,” Meng added.
Yoon Joo Lee said her family’s once bustling Korean barbecue restaurant, Hahm Ji Bach, is barely surviving.
“We almost had to close, but with the money from these funds, we hope it will help us continue towards the American Dream,” she said.
The new program will provide restaurants and other eligible businesses with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss. For the first 21 days, however, the SBA will approve claims from priority groups, which include businesses owned by women, veterans and individuals who are socially and economically disadvantaged.
Establishments that are publicly traded or owned by a state or local government are not eligible, nor are franchise owners that operate more than 20 restaurants.
Businesses can apply through SBA-recognized Point of Sale vendors or directly through the SBA using the application at restaurants.sba.gov. The maximum grant size is $5 million for restaurants and $10 million for restaurant groups. The minimum amount is $1,000.
Recipients are not required to repay the funding as long as funds are used by March 11, 2023.
“The diversity of our restaurant industry is really what makes Queens great,” said Assemblyman David Weprin. “We’ve been suffering over the last year and New York City is a little slower to open than the rest of the state.
But the worst is behind us, the vaccines are here and we are beginning to get out of this mess,” he added. “Hopefully the best is yet ahead.”

Art contest doubles as cancer fundraiser

A virtual art contest and breast cancer fundraiser broadcast from Ridgewood Savings Bank in Forest Hills last Friday attracted 33 artists.
Money raised from the event benefited Elmhurst Hospital and local nonprofit Paddle For The Cure (PFC).
It was produced and co-hosted by this columnist and PFC founder Leah Salmorin. Technical support was provided by Michael Wechsler.
“Salmorin is a former patient of our Hope Pavilion Cancer Center, where our excellent team of cancer specialists provide more than 12,000 visits a year treating people with cancer,” said Ruchel Ramos, associate director of Public Affairs & Community Engagement for Elmhurst Hospital.
“Faith, Hope, and Goodness” is a drawing by Judy Pesantez, a Middle Village resident who immigrated from Ecuador.
“The faith of cancer patients, represented in the background behind a pink ribbon, has a large sun for everyone to grasp,” she explained. “Hope is represented by the pink ribbon. Goodness is represented by caduceus on an evergreen field, which symbolizes the work of health professionals and first responders.”
“Unravel My Heart” by Forest Hills resident Nelly Lester took top prize in the painting category.
“My canvas is mostly filled with bright acrylic colors and clean designs,” she said. “My preference is usually flowers, women, and children in abstract form. My artwork tends to represent reality and true happiness, and that’s a sign of freedom.”
Photographer and animator Amy Lipson was the winner in the photography category with “N.Y. City: Home Base.”
“The symbolism of a strong foundation surrounded by plant life relates to the resilience of New York City and the comforting power of nature that my home base of Forest Hills provides during these trying times,” she said. “Staying local this past year allowed me to profoundly explore its beauty and peacefulness while on my daily walks.”
David Chatowsky, an artist and owner of three galleries from Rhode Island, entered his painting “Hope.”
“It features a young woman harvesting dates from the Judean Date Palm, which was extinct until recently when it was cultivated from 2000-year-old seeds,” he said. “The sun rays represent a blessing on her of health and security, and they go back into the rising sun, which represents a hopeful new day for all creation.”
The winner in the drawing category was 17-year-old Tina Zhao of Elmhurst.
“Tina decided to draw my older sister Panny because she has so much respect for her,” said her cousin, Amy Zhao. “Panny is an emergency room nurse who had to work countless hours. Being surrounded by death and mourning families and being separated from her loved ones just to keep them safe took a toll on her mental and emotional health.”
“I jumped out of my seat when I heard I was one of the winners,” said Glendale resident and Poland native Dorothy Stepnowska, who owns Flower Power Coffee House NYC.
Stepnowska won in the mixed media category for her installation “COVID-19 Memorial.” She donated her $100 prize to Elmhurst Hospital.
The prizes were made possible thanks to a donation by Ridgewood Savings Bank.
“Ridgewood Savings Bank believes that banking is all about people, helping them obtain their dreams, and making a positive impact on each other and the communities we share,” said Forest Hills branch manager Nancy Adzemovic.

Liu, Meeks back Shafran in City Council race

Austin Shafran was joined by Congressman Gregory Meeks and State Senator John Liu outside the Bayside Long Island Railroad station last week. Both announced they were supporting Shafran’s bid for City Council.
“Having known Austin and his family for years and worked with him inside and outside of government, I know that he has the right experience and deep motivation to deliver for our communities in the City Council,” Liu said.
“We’ve seen what happens when certain power hungry politicians pull a bait-and-switch on voters,” he added. “And that’s why it’s important we elect Austin Shafran as the real and reliable Democrat that Northeast Queens deserves.”
The “power hungry politician” Liu is likely referring to is Shafran’s opponent, former state senator Tony Avella, who held the same northeast Queens City Council post from 2001 to 2009.
In 2014, Avella joined the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), a group of renegade Democratic state senators in Albany who allied themselves with Republicans.
Avella and his colleagues dissolved the IDC in April of 2018, but the four years they caucused with Republicans was a major issue when Liu challenged Avella for the seat later that year.
Liu would eventually go on to win the Democratic Primary and eventually the post.
In addition to Avella, the other Democratic candidates in the race include Adriana Aviles, Francis Spangenberg, Richard Lee and Nabaraj KC.
Liu joins the Queens Democratic Party, several of the city’s largest labor unions, including the United Federation of Teachers, 32BJ SEIU and District Council 37, and others in supporting Shafran’s campaign.
“John Liu is a force of nature, one of the most energetic and effective public servants I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing,” Shafran said. “As proud as I am to have his support in this campaign, I am even more honored to call him my friend and mentor.”
Meeks said Shafran feels the need to serve.
“Some people run for office because it’s about them,” he said. “Austin feels an obligation to give the people the voice then deserve and have earned.”
Shafran said he was just an “ordinary” guy who grew up in Bayside and still calls it home, and is focused on day-to-day concerns like improving education and increasing services for seniors.
“But I guess the ordinary things we do can be extraordinary in these trying moments,” he said. “Ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they come together to make their communities a better place.”
The Democratic Primary will be held on June 22. Early voting begins on June 12.

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