We’ll be on a quick break, probably till May 1st.

Sorry!

Gary Carter talks to Joe and Evan about his new book and the old days. Here’s the audio:

Willie Randolph talks with Mike and Chris about Jose Reyes, the return of Duaner Sanchez and Mike Pelfrey. Here’s the audio:

Forbes: Yankees worth $1.3 billion, Mets $824 million

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees’ value increased to $1.306 billion over the past year, according to the annual estimates by Forbes magazine, a rise of 9 percent over the past year.

The New York Mets were second at $824 million and the Boston Red Sox third at $816 million, the magazine said Wednesday. After that, there was a big gap to the Los Angeles Dodgers ($694 million) and the Chicago Cubs ($642 million).

The Yankees were listed by Forbes as having $327 million in revenue last year and a $47.3 million operating loss, up from a $25.2 million loss on revenue of $302 million the previous year. Forbes’ revenue figure is after deducting revenue sharing payments, which the Yankees estimate at about $92 million. The team also paid approximately $24 million in luxury tax, which is reflected in the operating loss.

The Mets had an operating profit of $32.9 million, according to Forbes. Boston, according to Forbes, had a $19.1 million operating loss.

Both New York teams are planning to move into new ballparks in 2009, which should significantly increase their revenues.

At the bottom, the three teams with the lowest values were Florida ($256 million), Tampa Bay ($290 million) and Pittsburgh ($292 million). Forbes estimated the Marlins had an operating profit of $35.6 million, the Rays $29.7 million and the Pirates $17.6 million.

Washington had the highest estimated operating profit at $43.7 million. Forbes said the average operating profit in the majors was $16 million.

Mets

Jose Reyes-SS
Ryan Church-RF
David Wright-3B
Carlos Beltran-CF
Carlos Delgado-1B
Angel Pagan-LF
Brian Schneider-C
Luis Castillo-2B
John Maine-P

Nationals

Cristian Guzman-SS
Ronnie Belliard-2B
Ryan Zimmerman-3B
Nick Johnson-1B
Lastings Milledge-CF
Austin Kearns-RF
Wily Mo Pena-LF
Johnny Estrada-C
Matt Chico-P

Mets fan dies after falling over railing at Shea
Associated Press

NEW YORK — A man attending a New York Mets game with his family lost his balance on an escalator and fell two stories to his death, police said.

Antonio Nararainsami, 36, and several relatives, including his two young daughters, were leaving the stadium at the end of Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Nationals when he fell in a section below the left field stands and landed on a concrete floor. Nararainsami, a Guyanese native who lived in Brooklyn, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead half an hour later.

Kevin Prashad, a cousin who attended the game, said Nararainsami was walking down the escalator, which wasn’t moving, and was holding the hand rail when he “lost his footing.”

The Mets said in a statement that they had been “advised of a tragic accident that resulted in the death of a fan.” They said team officials and police were investigating.

“Our deepest and heartfelt condolences go out to the fan’s family,” the team’s statement said.

The death of Nararainsami, who was wearing a Mets cap when he fell, appeared to be an accident, and no charges had been filed, police said.

Nararainsami installed heating and air conditioning systems for a living, loved sports and was the captain of a local cricket club, his relatives said. His wife, pregnant with their third child, had stayed home while he attended the game.

Nararainsami’s death wasn’t the first at Shea. In 1985, a 21-year-old Yonkers man fell 100 feet from an escalator and was killed.

This is the Mets’ last season at Shea Stadium. A new stadium, Citi Field, is scheduled to open next year.

Tuesday’s game, which the Mets won 6-0, had celebrated Jackie Robinson Day, the 61st anniversary of when the Brooklyn Dodgers legend broke major league baseball’s color barrier.

New Orleans Zephyrs

The Zephyrs beat the Iowa Cubs 2-1. Ruddy Lugo pitched seven innings and gave up four hits and one run for the win. Nate Field picked up the save, his third on the year. Anderson Hernandez was 1-4 with the game winning RBI, Michel Abreu was 1-4 with a run, Chris Aguila was 1-2 with an RBI and winning pitcher Ruddy Lugo scored the winning run.

Binghamton Mets

The B-Mets lost to the Akron Aeros 11-10. Dan Murphy was 3-4 with a home run, three RBIs and a run scored, raising his average to .489, Mike Carp was 2-5 with a double and two runs scored, Salomon Manriquez was 4-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored, Josh Petersen was 2-5 with a run scored and Jose Coronado was 2-5 with an RBI. Fernando Martinez was 0-6 with four strikeouts, yeesh.

St. Lucie Mets

The Mets lost to the Brevard County Manatees 6-2. Dylan Owen pitched five innings giving up three hits and one earned run while taking a no decision. Kevin Tomasiewicz blew the save in the sixth and Steven Cheney took the loss. Luis Rivera was 2-4 with a double and an RBI, Ezequiel Carrera was 1-4 with a walk and an RBI, Leivi Ventura was 1-3 with a walk and a run and D.J. Wabick was 1-4 with a run.

Savannah Sand Gnats

The Sand Gnats were off tonight.