Regarding the old "baseball wall" in Gowanus that we received a photograph of yesterday, showing it in rough shape... there's no need to worry! A spokesman from Con Ed (the company that now owns the wall now) tells us: more ›

Joe Torre announced today that he was retiring as manager of the struggling LA Dodgers. The team immediately named former Yankee and current hitting coach Don Mattingly as his replacement. Torre has managed the Dodgers since the 2008 season, and coached the Yankees to four World Series titles in 12 years as their head coach. Torre turned 70 in July and has a 2,318-1,990 regular-season record in 29 major league seasons as a manager. Mattingly was the bench coach with the Yankees in 2007, and hoped to replace Torre as manager, but lost out to Joe Girardi; instead, he followed Torre to LA, as his heir apparent. It's unclear currently whether Torre is retiring from managing entirely or not. more ›

The wall in Gowanus that some believe is part of the original Dodgers stadium (aka Washington Park stadium) is now being investigated by the city to determine whether or not it should be landmarked. According to the NY Post, the Landmark Preservation Commission said it will review the 20-foot wall, which stands at 3rd Avenue between 1st and 3rd Streets. more ›

Until recently it was believed that a wall in Gowanus was part of the old Washington Park stadium, where the Dodgers played until moving to Ebbets Field in 1912. In fact, it was believed to be "the oldest section of any former major league ballpark still standing in the country." However, the 20-foot wall, located on 3rd Avenue between First and Third Streets, isn't quite what baseball historians thought it was. more ›

Since 2008, the Library of Congress has been putting photos from its collections onto flickr to share them with a broader audience. The catalog covers a wide range of topics, but we decided to look through their New York baseball related photos. Photos include the New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Highlanders/Yankees. Here are a few of our favorites from the online collection. more ›

• L.A. 8 Mets 0: Clayton Kershaw came into the game leading the NL in walks issued with 52. Against the free-swinging Mets, he only walked two. It was another night of zero offense for New York, extending their scoreless streak to 22 innings. Luis Castillo had a brutal game, getting thrown out at third in the third inning to squelch a rally and committing a big error in the fourth to start a rally for the Dodgers. Mike Pelfry couldn’t do much, only lasting into the fourth and the Mets lost for the ninth time in eleven games. As for Manny Ramirez, he was 2-for-4, drove in three runs and was ejected for throwing an elbow pad at an ump—Manny being Manny!
• Yankees 10 Twins 2: C.C. Sabathia was dealing and the Yankees offense warmed up as the game progressed. After letting the Twins escape several jams in the early innings, the New York bats broke through with a five-run sixth. Robinson Cano had a two-run single and Brett Gardner followed with a two-run triple. Every starter had a hit and Sabathia worked seven-strong to get the win.

A baseball fan was arrested and charged with criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and harassment after making a regrettable scene at last Saturday's game against the Dodgers at Shea Stadium. 32-year-old Christian Hansen was reportedly inebriated and pushing children out of the way to get some face time with Mr. Met, the team's mascot whose costume head is an enormous smiling baseball. more ›

Okay, Mets manager Willie Randolph hasn't been in pinstripes for a while, but this photograph of him saying hi to new Dodgers manager Joe Torre just seems like something from the bizarro world - not that there's anything wrong with that! Randolph, who was a Yankees coach under Torre, said, "It was a little strange, a little different. But I told him, 'You look good in any uniform.'" more ›

Everything's coming up rosé on Staten Island: on the heels of the new aquarium unveiling in the ferry terminal, plans for the island’s first vineyard are coming into focus. Borough President James Molinaro (pictured, right) has pledged $2 million for the project, which will establish a 2 acre vineyard and demonstration winery at the Staten Island Botanical Garden. more ›

Johnny Podres died last night in a hospital in upstate New York at the age of 75. He'd been suffering from serious medical problems for some time. In 1955, Podres ensured himself a place in Brooklyn and baseball history as a young left-hander who pitched the Dodgers to their only World Series Championship while in Brooklyn, and he did it against the hated Yankees. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: person under a train at 71st St. and 16th Ave. in Brooklyn, a stabbing on 112th St. and Lexington Ave. in Manhattan, and a bank robbery at Ave. of the Americas and West 18th St. in Manhattan.
• The Times wonders if people will be hoarding pre-rate-increase Metrocards the way token buyers used to stock up before a fare hike.
• A 17-year-old from Mt. Vernon was being held at Rikers Island after he was accused of statutory rape for having sex with a 14-year-old girl, and the judge who sent him there ordered that he should be put under suicide watch. The teenager was put into the jail's general population instead and he hung himself within 24 hours.

A Historic Collapse: The Mets held a seven-game lead with 17 to play and were caught looking ahead to the playoffs. What followed was among the worst collapses in history and one that revealed the weaknesses of the players, the manager and the general manager. Jose Reyes and his questionable -- and downright poor -- play summed up the the performance on the field. Manager Willie Randolph's mismanagement of the bullpen came to light more down the stretch. So did Omar Minaya's complete neglect of the roster's periphery. The Mets trotted out inexperienced and ineffective pitchers down the stretch, and the bullpen that Randolph had to deal with wasn't that good to begin with thanks to some questionable trades. What this means for the 2008 season remains to be seen, but it cost the Mets fans Lastings Milledge, another symbol of the collapse. He was dumped dealt to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on Franklin Ave. and 169th St. in the Bronx, a missing child on West 54th St. in Manhattan, and a stabbing on Fulton St. and Red Hook Lane in Brooklyn.
• Walter O'Malley was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame recently. The former owner of the Dodgers, he infamously moved the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles because the city wouldn't build him a new stadium.
• Times Square subway station music store Record Mart is back in business.
• The director of personnel at the NYC Board of Elections wants to travel to Iraq and Afghanistan to help soldiers vote in the next election.
• David Lemus, who spent 13 years in prison for the 1990 murder of a bouncer at the Palladium, was declared not guilty in a retrial after the real killer confessed.
• Childhood flashback: a piece of geometric animation scored to music by Phillip Glass that appeared on Sesame Street.
• The ACLU filed a suit against the NYPD seeking to get them to cease stopping and questioning photographers they see taking pictures of city landmarks.
• A Queens mother was arrested after her 3-year-old son brought 14 bags of pot to daycare with him to show his friends. The incident went unnoticed until the kid screamed "Give me my stuff back!"

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an unstable building on 118th St. and 2nd Ave. in Manhattan, a person burned on 130th St. and Park Ave. in Manhattan, and a shooting on Lafayette Ave. in Brooklyn.
• Maybe it's because we're lifelong NYC baseball fans who think the Dodgers still belong in Brooklyn, but we think Joe Torre looks goofy wearing an LA jersey. Maybe he should lose the tie.
• Citigroup's Charles Prince is ousted or jumping ship, depending on how you want to paint it. The mega-bank expects to write down another $11 billion in assets related to sub-prime loans.
• A fugitive being filmed by a Swiss documentary film crew making a movie about his involvement in a drug smuggling ring was unaware that cops might want to arrest him for his crimes from 20 years ago. Surprise! They were and did.
• Policy makers may be emphasizing preventative care and shunting patients away from emergency medical care, but hospitals are putting their money where they see the future is, by expanding their ERs at a record pace.
• South Carolina cold cocks Stephen Colbert's Presidential aspirations and New York magazine makes light of the disruption of the democratic process.
• More than a dozen people were hospitalized after exposure to chemical fumes on Staten Island.
• Mayor Bloomberg has apologized to the family of James Zadroga for deriding their deceased son publicly.

Well, it didn't take long for Joe Torre to find a new job (not that it should have). He's trading The Bronx for Chavez Ravine and "fans" like Rudy Giuliani for Posh Spice. The Post is reporting that the former Yankees manager has agreed in principle to a three-year $14.5 million deal (hopefully there are no performance incentives) to be the next manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He would be replacing Grady Little, who... more ›

Friday night, Perez pitched seven shutout innings and out-pitched one of the best in the NL, Brad Penny. David Wright had a home run and Mike DiFelice went 3-for-3 as the Mets won the series opener. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a home invasion robbery on Lincoln Ave. in Brooklyn, a hostage situation on Duane Ct. on Staten Island, and a sexual assault on West 153rd St. and Macombs Pl. in Manhattan.
• "Live Free or Die Hard" director Len Wiseman is slated to direct a remake of "Escape From New York," with Gerard Butler ("300") assuming the role of Snake Plissken, who was originally played by Kurt Russell.
• The Bronx GI who hired someone to shoot him in the leg so he wouldn't have to return to serve with his unit in Iraq was spared indictment on felony charges by a grand jury.
• The original home of The New York Times, at 113 Nassau St. between Ann and Beekman Sts., is being demolished.
• Former New York Met Jose Offerman, who was a Major League All-Star while playing with the Dodgers in 1996 and Boston in 1999, has been suspended indefinitely from the minor league Long Island Ducks after striking the opposing pitcher and catcher with his bat after he was hit by a pitch.
• An NYPD captain is on trial for dragging a subordinate officer by her hair to the backseat of a car where he allegedly punched her. An NYU security guard testified yesterday that he witnessed the attack on the female officer by the ranking officer she was having an affair with.
• New York magazine searches out the best lemonades in the city.
• The New York Times reports on the biology of sweating.

Rep. Charles Rangel spoke with WNBC newsman Gabe Pressman Friday evening for an interview that will air Sunday morning. He told Pressman that New Yorkers shouldn't favor Giuliani just because he's from their area or showed some type of leadership in the hours and days after 9/11/01. Rangel attributes Giuliani's positive impression as simply the product of filling a vacuum created by an absent-for-hours President Bush. While the Congressman appreciates that temporary performance, he hopes New Yorkers will recognize the larger impression he has of the current Republican candidate.

Rangel replied, "I don't think any federal prosecutor indicted more people that were subsequently acquitted than Giuliani. You know, he's a tough guy from the neighborhood that wants everyone to know how tough he is. He's the guy that calls the police to rally, cussing and fussing and bringing out the meanness in them as they drank beer and attacked David Dinkins. He polarized the city like no mayor's ever done."

Major League Baseball really wants the public to get excited for the post-season, so it has created an Actober promotion, which has the slogan "You're a fan. Act like one!" more ›

• Mets 13, Dodgers 9: While Tom Glavine was on the mound attempting to win his 299th career game, the Mets were trying to win their first game against the Dodgers this year. In an trip to Los Angeles earlier this season, the Mets were swept in a three game series. The Mets jumped out to a 6-run lead in the first inning last night and never trailed, but Glavine couldn't keep the Dodgers from scoring in his brief outing. Then again, no pitcher seemed to have an answer for either team's offense in this game. Although Glavine didn't come close to winning his 299th victory, the Mets did finally pick up a win in L.A. In the combined 22 run slugfest, Glavine was removed after only two innings, allowing 10 hits and 6 earned runs. Derek Lowe, the starter for the Dodgers, hardly fared better - 10 hits and 8 earned runs over three innings. Each position player that started the game for the Mets, had at least one hit. The two teams combined for 35 hits in the game.
• Blue Jays 3, Yankees 2: The Yankees were going for a four-game sweep of Toronto and for their 6th win in a row. All was well until they reached the 7th inning. Chien-Ming Wang pitched well through 6, holding the Jays scoreless, but it all unraveled in the 7th when Wang allowed Toronto to score 3 runs. The Yankees jumped to a quick two-run lead in the 1st inning, but Toronto starter Dustin McGowan shut them down for the rest of the time he was pitching, allowing only 4 total hits over 7 innings. Wang was eventually pulled from the game in the 8th inning after already giving up the go ahead run in the 7th. The Yankees start another four-game series Friday against the Devil Rays, who they took three of four from just last week.
• Crosscutters 4, Cyclones 2: The Cyclones fell to Williamsport for their first loss in seven games. Brooklyn had a one run lead entering the 7th, but the Crosscutters scored 3 unearned runs to take the lead for good. Brooklyn scored only one run in the 8th despite having the bases loaded and were unable to score in the 9th despite having two runners on base with no outs.

Jose Reyes was 2-for-3 with a home run and Ramon Castro continued to show what a great backup he is with a 2-for-3 day of his own. The Mets will now head to California for seven games with the Padres and Dodgers. more ›

Watching the Brooklyn Dodgers documentary on HBO made us dig for some more footage on YouTube. The team had many nicknames, one being the Trolley Dodgers, and their fans were often dependent on the trolley system to get to the games. The above film shows a Brooklyn trolley at 5th Avenue and Flatbush, 5th Avenue and Bergen Street and finally 5th Avenue and 9th Street, with some great shots of the people and area at the time. One commenter on the video points out that at the 2:30 mark the Avon Theater is shown (which in that day would show double features and cartoons for "25 cent a pop"). more ›

If you're itching for some baseball during this season's All-Star break, and hate the Yankees too much to endure a rebroadcast of last night's premiere of The Bronx is Burning, The New York Sun recommends an HBO documentary on the Brooklyn Dodgers that will premiere tomorrow night. "Brooklyn Dodgers: The Ghosts of Flatbush" chronicles a decade of seasons (plus one) for the team and the borough it belonged to, from 1947 to 1957. more ›

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• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on Broadway in Manhattan, a water search between 19th and 26th Aves. in Queens, and an injured officer on Albany and Clarkson Aves. in Brooklyn.
• One would think that Albany pols were immune from shame, but Gov. Spitzer wants to make a tour of it, in an attempt to embarrass Joseph Bruno.
• The latest group to organize against a Wal-Mart invasion in their community: Orthodox Jews.
• Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the Brooklyn Dodgers' last game at Ebbet's Field. Damn You Walter O'Malley.
• Rising worldwide demand for sushi + diminishing supplies of tuna = raw deer and horse meat on your rice.
• Well-orchestrated fake orgasms will soon be relegated to only New Yorkers' apartments, when places like Katz's Deli go out of business forever.
• If one wants to register for federal aid related to April's massive nor'easter, the deadline is at 8 p.m. tonight.
• Flatbush Avenue is Brooklyn's Broadway - and it's booming with development
• The shelf life of valid Metrocards was just extended from one year to two years, so start searching your sock drawers.