Larry Brown Sports

Keith Hernandez is officially naked. On Thursday morning, the Mets legend made an incredible sacrifice when he said goodbye to something that has been a part of him for 25 years — his mustache. Without the stache, Keith is virtually unrecognizable. He probably would never have landed his guest appearance gig on “Seinfeld” if not for the facial hair, but at least he rid himself of it for a good cause. As part of the event, Schick donated $10,000 to the Adult Day Health Center to help people who struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

We have seen MLB managers and NFL stars shave their heads for a good cause, but Hernandez without a mustache is like tortilla chips without salsa on game day. Something about the world just feels out of whack today.

Photos via Mets Blog on Twitter

Come Sept. 27, Keith Hernandez may no longer be Keith Hernandez. You’ve seen him as the NL MVP in 1979. You’ve seen him in five All-Star games. You’ve seen him nearly lead the Mets to the World Series in 1988 only to fall one victory short. You’ve seen him in “Seinfeld. You’ve seen him in the broadcast booth. But all the while, you’ve seen Keith Hernandez with a mustache.

The mustache has been Hernandez’s trademark for years, but according to Newsday’s Neil Best it will be no more at the end of the season.

BREAKING: @sportswatch has learned Keith Hernandez will have his mustache shaved off before last Mets home game Sept. 27 outside Citi Field.

— Neil Best (@sportswatch) September 20, 2012

Talk about the end of an era. Can he grow the mustache back? Of course, but it will never bee the same mustache. The one he has had for all these years will be gone. How can he rag on players like A-Rod if he doesn’t have the stache to back him up? I don’t see it happening.

H/T Eye on Baseball

Bagging on A-Rod used to be the favorite pastime of fans and media until it was replaced by ripping on LeBron. But now that A-Rod skipped out of the way on a double play ball during Friday night’s Subway Series opener between the Yankees and Mets, we can thank Keith Hernandez for bringing it back. Watch Keith Hernandez say to A-Rod “Where’s the purse?” on this Robinson Cano double play ball. Video:

As if the purse line wasn’t enough, play-by-play man Gary Cohen said “At least he didn’t slap at it,” which is a reference to an October, 2004 game between the Yankees and Red Sox where A-Rod made this motion:

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Former 1979 MVP winner and current Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez took aim at an organizational approach recently, saying the team demands too much of their players off-the-field during the season.

Hernandez was backing up third baseman David Wright who was recently criticized by owner Fred Wilpon. Hernandez said Wright has gone “over and above the call of duty” when it comes to representing the team. He then criticized the organization’s operations and demands of players.

“I have always felt that for too long the Mets have, you know, done a little bit too much with the players (in terms of personal appearances) during the season,” Hernandez said. “The players have to play baseball. And it’s a long grueling season. David has always been there for the organization.”

Speaking from personal experience, Wright is extremely accommodating and accessible when it comes to granting media interviews during the season, so I know he’s great with his time. But the Mets are running a business, and part of being an employee is doing public relations and interacting with fans. There’s nothing wrong with teams having their players make appearances and interact, but they have to be mindful of the players’ schedules.

Hernandez played the game and has a good idea of what’s asked of the players and what’s reasonable, so I’ll take his word for it. After all, we know he doesn’t suck up to the players, so he’s probably not messing around. Not only that, but as a team broadcaster, he’s probably speaking on their behalf, saying something they can’t say for fear of criticism. I’ll bet this complaint is coming from the players.

It’s been over two months since Jerry Seinfeld’s good friend Keith Hernandez fell asleep in the broadcast booth during an extra-inning game between the Mets and Giants. Not surprisingly, the fans haven’t forgotten. They also haven’t stopped letting him hear about it. Here’s a video of a Giants fan heckling Keith Hernandez for falling asleep in the broadcast booth, courtesy of Tirico Suave:

It seems the only thing that gets under Hernandez’s skin more than being heckled about this embarrassing moment is a confrontation with Jose Reyes. Props to the heckler for being loud enough to be heard on the TV broadcast. I’m not really sure what Keith means when he says, “I wish I could say something back but we’re on the air.” What can he say? The man fell asleep on the job. He can tell the fan to shove it if it makes him feel better, but at the end of the day when you do something that hilarious, you can expect to be heckled about it for a long, long time.

Source:
Rowdy Giants Fan Keeps Keith Hernandez Awake [Tirico Suave]

Any devoted Seinfeld fan knows that Jerry Seinfeld and Keith Hernandez have a history together. In 1992, the former Mets first baseman and “Game 6” hero guest starred in the classic Seinfeld episode, “The Boyfriend,” playing Jerry’s “man crush” who eventually pursues Elaine. On Wednesday, Seinfeld will join Hernandez and play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen in the broadcast booth as a guest analyst when the Mets face the Detroit Tigers at Citi Field. One can only assume that the reunion will produce entertainment genius equal to the “second spitter” routine.

Well, probably not, but at least Jerry is doing something other than The Marriage Ref. It’s also good to see that these two are still getting along after that love triangle between Keith, Jerry, and Elaine. And hopefully Keith will be able to stay awake for this ballgame.

So while it’s not quite the Seinfeld reunion so many have waited for, if the fans are not satisfied with how the game is called, this will offer followers of both Seinfeld and the Mets a glorious and always welcome opportunity to scream “Nice game, pretty boy!” from the cheap seats.

Sources:
Seinfeld reunion: Jerry Seinfeld to call game with Keith Hernandez [Game On!]

It was so fitting: I was over at my boy Hop-a-Long’s to enjoy 4th of July festivities, and what comes on Seinfeld as the rerun episodes? That’s right, the Keith Hernandez Magic Loogie episode. And why was that so fitting? As Hop-a-Long informed me, Hernandez apparently had just gotten into a fight with Jose Reyes on the team plane:

A team source described the situation aboard the plane as “very heated.” One player told The Post that he thought Reyes and the popular former Met – now an analyst for the club’s SNY TV network – were close to exchanging punches until others stepped in.

Reyes said yesterday he was angry at Hernandez after numerous friends and relatives told him Hernandez accused the Mets of “babying” Reyes during the broadcast of Sunday’s 3-1 win over the Yankees.
…
“Well, he’s got to get over that,” Hernandez said at the time, according to one transcript of the broadcast. “Enough babying going on now. He’s a grown man. He’s been around a long enough time. Take off the kid gloves.”

I guess Reyes threw his glove down on the ground after making an error. That’s not quite as strong as when Ted Lilly slammed his glove on the ground during the playoffs last year after giving up a home run, but still a childish act nonetheless. I’m a Reyes fan and I don’t understand all the heat he’s been taking lately. Manuel getting pissed at Reyes for not wanting to be pulled, and now Hernandez saying he’s being babied. Who doesn’t get pissed after making an error? I side with Piazza, too, who once said Hernandez is “A clueless voice from the grave.” At any rate, nice game, pretty boy!