Warthen’s piece Met coach pitchin’ wisdom daily
Dan Warthen uses conventional ways to help improve his staff; individual bullpen sessions plus use of videotape. But Warthen, who was appointed Mets pitching coach on June 17, has another tool in his arsenal – a daily quotation he posts in the clubhouse prior to each game. “I’m an avid reader,” Warthen said. “I find quotes in newspapers, magazine and books. I’m heavy into Abraham Lincoln.”
A popular Warthen quote from this week: A sleigh rests in the summer, a wagon rests in the winter, but a horse never rests.
“There is always a subtle message,” reliever Aaron Heilman said. “He doesn’t want us to get too high after wins or too low after losses. All of the guys go straight to the board to see what he’s come up with.”
Here are other samples:
The man on top of the mountain didn’t just fall there.
Why not go out on a limb? That is where the fruit is.
Wisdom is not a product of schooling, but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.
“Just the other day a couple of guys from [Triple-A] New Orleans called me and wondered what the quote of the day was,” Warthen said with a laugh. “A lot of time, pitchers will come in with quotes to use. It’s a nice thing we have going. Just to everyone sharp.”
Pettitte has eye on Brett the Jet
Andy Pettitte has tickets to the Houston Texans games, but when he is home on Sundays, church runs beyond kickoff, so Pettitte usually gives his tickets away. A native of Louisiana, Pettitte used to follow the Saints but wouldn’t be described as a fanatic. However, the Jets landing Brett Favre has stirred Pettitte’s interest. “With him playing I would like to go see the Jets,” said Pettitte, who has taken in one NFL game at Giants Stadium.
China buying Kobe
For the second consecutive season, Kobe Bryant – not Yao Ming – has the top-selling NBA jersey in China, where the country has gone ga-ga over USA’s Olympic Redeem Team. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, members of the 2008 NBA champion Celtics, moved into the top five on this year’s list. The Rockets’ Tracy McGrady, Yao’s teammate, ranked third for the second consecutive season. Finals MVP Pierce, whose jersey was not in the top 10 last season, moved up to fourth. Yao ranked just 10th on the list, down from six last year. The rankings are based on sales from retail stores throughout China for the 2007-08 season.
Sharapova sighting
Former U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova isn’t letting her shoulder injury prevent her from bringing the bling to Manhattan, though she has withdrawn from the event. The tennis star will unveil her Canon PowerShot Diamond Collection at South Street Seaport Wednesday. The limited-edition line of five diamond-encrusted digital cameras, each containing 88 white diamonds totaling 2.22 carats, will be awarded to five consumers via nationwide sweepstakes at http://www.powershot.com. . . . Tajh Jones, an 18-year-old from Jamaica, NY, was among the 10 national winners of the 10th annual USTA/NJTL Arthur Ashe Essay Contest.
Teeing off with Straw
The stars come out for Darryl Strawberry’s charity golf tournament Aug. 25 at Bethpage State Park: Willie Randolph; Ottis Anderson; Jerome Bettis; Hugh Green; Ron Darling; Ozzie Smith; John Starks; Paul Blair; Marty Lyons; Bud Harrelson; Carl Banks; Bruce Harper; Wesley Walker; Bobby Czyz; Steve Balboni; Mike Torrez. Momentum Sports Management Inc. superagent Martin Gover and Strawberry’s wife Tracy round out the gala with Sal Marchiano, Sam Rosen and Sweeny Murti from the media world.
Strahan wants Favre’s deal
Michael Strahan has joined the Petters Group Worldwide, working most closely with Polaroid and the John T. Petters Foundation. Strahan joked at the recent star-studded charity event in Minneapolis that he should offer to come out of retirement to play football for a minute so the Giants could offer him a deal like the Packers offered Brett Favre – $20-25 million to stay retired. Then Strahan helped raise nearly $50,000 during a live auction by showing off his talent as an auctioneer.
Ballers against malaria
Actor Tom Cavanagh, seen in television shows such as “Scrubs”, “Ed”, and the upcoming TNT series “Trust Me”, will join his wife, Maureen Cavanagh of Sports Illustrated, in hosting their first annual charity basketball game in Harlem’s legendary Holcombe Rucker Park tomorrow from noon to 2 p.m. to raise funds and awareness for the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign, a global grass-roots initiative to prevent malaria.
Camp Cooperstown
The ultimate baseball fantasy camp is the one played on Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, where campers can live out a dream and spend a week playing ball with George Brett, Ozzie Smith, Phil Niekro and Mike Schmidt. Run by the Hall of Fame itself, with accommodations at the fabled Otesaga Hotel, the camp runs Oct. 1-6 and costs $8,495 including accommodations. For more information, visit http://www.baseballhalloffame.org. . . . The late Hank Greenberg’s son, Stephen, will mark his 60th birthday with a big party given by his wife, Myrna, at Cipriani 23rd St. Sept. 6.
That’s a big salad
The World Famous Carnegie Deli created a new item on the menu this week. The “Garden (of Dreams) Salad” will help make dreams come true for kids in crisis. Garden greats Adam Graves, John Starks and Kym Hampton were joined by five children from the Life Center shelter to test out the gigantic salads. Said Graves, “This salad is as filling as the famed pastrami sandwiches!” . . . MSG network tomorrow night will air the boxing documentary “Orthodox Stance,” an intimate, three-year-long look at the trials and tribulations Brooklyn boxer Dmitriy Salita has faced as an up-and-coming professional.
No fight left in IFL
Despite a publicity buzz that established mixed martial arts as a rising sport and spiced up The Rumble with a number of cute items, the New York-based International Fight League is dead. The league, which launched the careers of several New York area MMA stars in two years, has ceased operations after going through almost $35 million in start-up costs in two years. One benefactors from the IFL’s P.R. success is former IFL coach Renzo Gracie, who has seen business boom at his New York academy. One other IFL casualty is former Knicks and USTA PR head Joe Favorito, who led the effort to build the IFL from nothing.