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ATLANTA — Andruw Jones has watched each of the past eight Baseball Hall of Fame election results shows while sitting at the same sushi bar in Buckhead. Each of the past few years, he has rolled out of the establishment feeling more optimistic.

In fact, thereâ€s reason for Jones to believe this might finally be the year he gains baseballâ€s greatest honor. But instead of getting overly excited, the former Braves great will attempt to maintain the poise he showed back in 1996, when — at the age of 19 — he homered in his first two career World Series plate appearances.

“You just never know what the vote is going to be or what is going to happen,†Jones said. “The first few years I was [on the ballot], I didnâ€t really put much mind to it. I would watch and congratulate who got in. But when you get closer, you friends and family start asking a lot of questions, like, ‘Do you think this is going to be the year?’â€

Jones and the baseball world will learn this on Jan. 20, when the 2026 Hall of Fame election results are announced on MLB Network. This is the ninth time the elite outfielder has appeared on the HOF ballot. Candidates are removed from the ballot if they do not receive the necessary 75 percent of the votes within their first 10 years of eligibility.

“I look forward to the announcement,†Jones said. “I do every year. But I just donâ€t build up too much hope until it happens.â€

Jones hopes to extend a recent trend that has seen the elections of players who received little support during their earliest years on the ballot. Billy Wagner was elected during his 10th and final year on the ballot last year. The former closer received less than 11 percent of the votes during his first year of eligibility and didnâ€t receive more than 20 percent during any of his first four years. But his vote totals over his final three years of eligibility jumped from 68.1 (in 2023) to 73.8 (in 2024) to 82.5 (in 2025).

Jones†vote percentage over the past three years has risen from 58.1 to 61.6 to 66.2. His support among the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voters has significantly grown since he received less than 8% of the vote during his first two years on the ballot.

Scott Rolen experienced a similar trajectory in the few years leading up to his 2023 election, receiving 10.2% in 2018, 17.2% in ‘19, 35.3% in ‘20, 52.9% in ‘21, 63.2% in ‘22 and 76.3% in ’23.

With Cole Hamels and Ryan Braun the top newcomers on next yearâ€s ballot, thereâ€s a definite chance Jones could draw 10 percent more of the votes and join former Braves teammates Chipper Jones, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz in the Hall of Fame. His former Atlanta manager Bobby Cox and general manager John Schuerholz have also been inducted.

How crazy is it that Andruw has had to wait so long to be elected?

“Itâ€s really crazy,†Chipper Jones said. “During a 10-year stretch, he won 10 Gold Gloves, averaged 30 homers a year and Iâ€m sure he had around a thousand RBIs. Anybody with those numbers and credentials is in the Hall of Fame. The best defenders at their positions are in. Andruw was one of the top two or three, the best in my opinion, to ever play center field.â€

Jones, Ichiro Suzuki and four current Hall of Famers — Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline and Ken Griffey Jr. — are the only outfielders to ever win 10 Gold Glove Awards.

While winning those 10 consecutive Gold Gloves with Atlanta from 1998-2007, Jones ranked third among all MLB players with a 57.6 bWAR, behind only Alex Rodriguez (80) and Barry Bonds (71). Chipper Jones, Todd Helton and Albert Pujols each produced a 54.9 mark during this decade-long stretch.

Andruw Jones had seven 30-homer seasons, including an MLB-best 51-homer campaign in 2005. But what truly set him apart was the defensive excellence that has led many to continue to consider him to be the best center fielder the game has ever seen.

Jones had a 24.2 defensive WAR from 1998-2007. The next closest players were Hall of Famers Rolen (15.1) and Ivan “Pudge†Rodriguez (13.5).

Yeah, there was a steep decline late in Jones†career. He had just a 95 OPS+ as he played for the Dodgers, White Sox, Rangers and Yankees during his final five seasons (2008-12). That means he wasnâ€t even an average offensive player (100 OPS+) as he progressed through his early 30s.

But Jones captured the baseball worldâ€s attention at age 19 and spent the next decade proving to be elite. If leeway is given to a player who debuts at 23 and then starts to decline in their mid-30s, then shouldnâ€t the same grace be given to Jones, who was elite offensively and defensively for an entire decade?

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Dâ€Lo Brown wants to see the Nation of Domination in the WWE Hall of Fame.

The Attitude Era featured many stables, but few achieved what The Nation did for The Rockâ€s career. After an underwhelming first run as the smiling babyface Rocky Maivia, Vince McMahon turned Dwayne Johnson heel by making him a member of the Nation of Domination.

The alliance proved instrumental in Maiviaâ€s transformation into the wildly popular Rock persona at the height of the Attitude Era. The Nation eventually disbanded. With each member going solo or forming new tag teams. Such as Faarooq teaming with Bradshaw (aka JBL) to form the APA. The Nation remains an important part of WWEâ€s faction history.

Dâ€Lo Brown says The Nation of Domination belongs in the WWE Hall of Fame

During a recent appearance on The Velvet Ropes with SoCal Val, former Nation member Dâ€Lo Brown said the iconic Attitude Era faction deserves to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Explaining his reasoning, Dâ€Lo said:

“Hereâ€s my thing. I believe, not just because Iâ€m part of the Nation. If I wasnâ€t part of the Nation, I would say the Nation deserves being a Hall of Fame,†Dâ€Lo Brown said. “If you look at what a faction does, usually, a faction is to elevate one person out of the group, i.e. Flair with the Horsemen. The thing with the Nation was every member, and we think about the core unit of Rocky, Mark, Godfather, Ron and myself… every one of us got better after being in the Nation.

“So that shows what kind of foundation the Nation gave all of us. And it lifted us all up. And then for the fact that the Nation should be in the Hall of Fame, because 30 years later, anytime you put a faction of two or three black guys together, people are already calling it the new Nation. That tells you its footprint in wrestling. And just for that mere fact alone, it should be represented in the Hall of Fame with the other great acts of the last 100 years.†[H/T: WrestlingNews.co]

READ MORE: The Godfather Believes This Is The Reason Vince McMahon Put Owen Hart In The Nation Of Domination

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Carlos Beltranreceived the call earlier this week.

The Mets announced on Thursday evening that the outfielder will be inducted into the team Hall of Fame next season, along with Bobby Valentine and Lee Mazzilli as part of their first class since 2023.

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SNYâ€s Chelsea Sherrod met up with Beltran in an exclusive one-on-one interview to discuss the honor prior to Saturday night’s Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico Showdown at Citi Field.

“First of all, Iâ€m super,†he said. “I feel that itâ€s a confirmation of all the effort that you put in as a player. In the seven years that I was here, thereâ€s no doubt I went through ups and down, but at the end of the day, when I look at the numbers, I feel proud.

“Being able to be accepted into any team Hall of Fame is a beautiful thing, so Iâ€m super happy and grateful for the opportunity.â€

Beltran doesnâ€t know what to expect as far as his emotions when the big day comes, but heâ€s hoping to be able to keep things in check so he can deliver a good speech for the fans, his family, and his teammates.

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The slugger had many memorable moments during his seven-year stint in orange and blue, but some of his favorites came during the 2006 campaign, which was one of his best with the club.

“Going to the playoffs was a beautiful moment,†he said. “I was also able to win my first Gold Glove with the Mets; being able to receive that call was an incredible thing because I worked so hard in Kansas City to try to win and never won it — I got to experience that and a lot of other good things with the Mets.â€

Some of those good things include five All-Star appearances, two more Gold Gloves, and a pair of Silver Sluggers.

Beltran also slashed .280/.369/.500 with 149 home runs, 208 doubles, 559 RBI, 551 runs scored, and 100 stolen bases during his time with the Mets.

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There have been 147 Mexican-born players in MLB history. The greatest among them was the legendary Fernando Valenzuela, who became an instant sensation with the Dodgers in the early 1980s and the only pitcher in Major League history to win both a Rookie of the Year Award and a Cy Young Award in the same year (1981).

Valenzuela, who passed away in 2024, had one of baseballâ€s most unique deliveries, one which featured the left-hander looking up to the sky before unleashing each pitch. And he made his mark on the game in ways that few others have.

Now that heâ€s on the Contemporary Baseball Era ballot, with the vote taking place at the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla., next month, itâ€s a good time to examine Valenzuelaâ€s case for Cooperstown, one which could make him the first Mexican-born player to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fernandomania, an iconic baseball moment

You canâ€t tell the story of baseball in the early 1980s — or the story of baseball in Mexico, for that matter — without talking about “Fernandomania,†a euphoric six months in Los Angeles in 1981, when Valenzuela burst onto the Major League scene and captured the hearts of untold numbers of baseball fans around the world.

Making his debut out of the bullpen at just 19 years old the prior September, Valenzuela made his first big league start on April 9, 1981, becoming the first rookie to start on the mound on Opening Day for the Dodgers. On that day against the Astros at Dodger Stadium, he threw a five-hit shutout.

With an arsenal headlined by his signature screwball, Valenzuela then proceeded to throw six more complete games in succession (four of them were shutouts). He then threw nine more innings in his next outing, a game the Dodgers won in the bottom of the ninth.

It was an incredible eight-game stretch over which Valenzuela struck out 68, walked 17 and yielded only four runs over 72 innings (0.50 ERA).

And as it all unfolded, so did a cultural phenomenon that was dubbed “Fernandomania,†which led to throngs of new baseball fans and a jam-packed Dodger Stadium on days Valenzuela pitched.

Valenzuela went on to be named an All-Star and finished the season with a 2.48 ERA over 25 starts (11 complete games, eight shutouts).

He also helped the Dodgers reach and win the 1981 World Series, posting a 2.21 ERA over five playoff starts — pitching at least eight innings in four of them. That included a complete-game victory in Game 3 of the World Series against the Yankees.

Favorable Cooperstown comps

From 1981-86, no starting pitcher threw more innings than Valenzuelaâ€s 1,537. Only one pitcher threw more than Valenzuelaâ€s 84 complete games — Jack Morris (89). And in Morris, we have quite an interesting comparison of contemporaries, one of whom is a Hall of Famer and the other on this yearâ€s Contemporary Baseball Era ballot.

Morris was elected to the Hall of Fame by way of the Modern Baseball Era committee in 2018. When you compare Morris†numbers — as well as those of another Hall of Fame right-hander, Catfish Hunter — to Valenzuela’s, there are some clear parallels:

Jack Morris (HOF)
18 seasons, 3,824 IP, 3.90 ERA, 105 ERA+, 3.94 FIP, 43.5 bWAR (2.7 bWAR/162 games), 32.5 WAR-7 (combined WAR for player’s seven best seasons), 5-time All-Star, World Series MVP (1991)

Fernando Valenzuela
17 seasons, 2,930 IP, 3.54 ERA, 104 ERA+, 3.61 FIP, 41.4 bWAR (3.2 bWAR/162), 33.5 WAR-7, 6-time All-Star, NL Cy Young Award/Rookie of the Year (1981)

Catfish Hunter (HOF)
15 seasons, 3,449 1/3 IP, 3.26 ERA, 104 ERA+, 3.66 FIP, 40.9 bWAR (2.8 bWAR/162), 34.9 WAR-7, 8-time All-Star, AL Cy Young Award (1974)

Beyond those favorable comparisons, Valenzuelaâ€s resume also features some unique distinctions.

Valenzuela is the last pitcher to throw 20 or more complete games in a season (20 in 1986). He was also an iron man on the mound, making 255 consecutive starts before going on the injured list for the first time in 1988.

Valenzuela was great on the mound. But his impact and legacy go beyond the field. He represented the hopes of an entire nation when he made his big league debut in 1980. And he captivated a city and even fans around the world with his tremendous 1981 campaign.

He was the man for the moment. And what he accomplished beyond the numbers is certainly worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.

“What Fernandomania did for the Dodgers was build generation after generation of Mexican-American fans,†John Thorn, MLBâ€s official historian, said in 2021. “The Mexican-American community has always been large in Los Angeles, but it was not attached to the Dodgers when they were imported from Brooklyn.

“I think it is not too much to say that for Mexican-American communities, Valenzuela was a hero like Hank Greenberg was for the Jews. He made everybody feel bigger and welcome. They went to the stadium to see him.â€

Fernandomania was a singular moment in baseball history that continues to resonate among fans, particularly Mexican-American fans who lived through the phenomenon and passed on its memory to the next generation.

There are currently no Mexican-born players in the Baseball Hall of Fame. A posthumous election of Valenzuela to Cooperstown would represent the ultimate recognition of his contributions to the game and his impact on its advancement globally.

Valenzuela was with the Dodgers through the 1990 season before pitching for the Angels, Orioles, Phillies, Padres and Cardinals from 1991-97.

But before he donned Dodger blue in a game for the final time, he had one more magnificent moment with the team for whom he made so many unforgettable memories.

On June 29, 1990, the bespectacled veteran southpaw threw a no-hitter against St. Louis at Dodger Stadium.

If Valenzuela is eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame, perhaps someone in Cooperstown on that day will heed the suggestion made by legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully upon the final out of Valenzuelaâ€s no-hitter.

“If you have a sombrero,†Scully said, “throw it to the sky.â€

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WWE has many marquee matches, but some Superstars are more catered to certain environments. While someone like D-Von Dudley lit up the pro wrestling world with his TLC and table matches, he never got a chance to perform in a Royal Rumble match.

During the latest episode of Devon and The Duke, WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley stated that he never competed in a traditional 30-man Royal Rumble match at any point in his WWE career. The statement drew interest because of his long run with the company and his work as part of The Dudley Boyz.

D-Von Dudley explained that he took part in Royal Rumble events, but never entered the Royal Rumble match itself. His most famous appearance at the event came in 2000 when he and Bubba Ray Dudley met Matt and Jeff Hardy in the first tag team tables match in WWE history. That match took place at Royal Rumble 2000 and ended with The Hardy Boyz winning.

“You know what I really like—if people say you had any regrets, Devon, since you left the wrestling business—whatâ€s one of your regrets? My regret is I never got to be in the Royal Rumble.â€

“Never got to be in the Royal Rumble, man. Anytime the Royal Rumble came around and we were in WWE, we were always defending the title. I was never in the Royal Rumble. Bubba got one chance to be in the Royal Rumble and that was it. But I never got the chance.â€

“I even said it when I was a producer hoping that Vince would put me in the Rumble, but he never did. Which is fine, you know—itâ€s okay. Listen, you donâ€t get everything you want. I got to leave on my own terms. I got to leave the way I left. Leave it at that. Iâ€m okay. Iâ€m okay.†“Besides, I donâ€t know how to go over that top rope anymore, anyway.â€

D-Von and Bubba Ray Dudley were active with WWE from 1999 through 2005 but did not participate in the Royal Rumble match during that period. This may be a big surprise for some fans, especially considering how long he was around.

We will have to see if D-Von Dudley gets a chance to wrestle in a Royal Rumble match. At this stage of his career, it doesnâ€t look likely, but you can never say never. The 2026 Royal Rumble will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, January 31. We will have to see if D-Von Dudley makes the trip with his gear.

Whatâ€s your take on D-Von Dudleyâ€s big miss? Do you think he would have won a Royal Rumble match? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

November 14, 2025 7:11 pm

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WWE Superstars CM Punk and Cody Rhodes have etched their names in immortality after being inducted into the Hall of Fame recently.

Punk and Rhodes are the top guns of the Stamford-based promotion right now, as they are the current World Heavyweight Champion and Undisputed WWE Champion, respectively. They will also team up at the upcoming Survivor Series: WarGames 2025, along with Jey Uso, against Logan Paul and The Vision members Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. The two competitors for both sides have yet to be announced.

The American Nightmare and The Second City Saint have established themselves as one of the best in the business, aside from having their careers intertwined with one another. At one point, they both performed for AEW but never wrestled a match against each other there due to several differences. Right now, they are WWE’s faces and it might stay that way for the foreseeable future, especially with injuries and other commitments from other top names such as Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.

In the recent report released by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter,they confirmed that Punk and Rhodes were two of the inductees into their Hall of Fame, which is the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame,this year.

🚨 The 2025 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame Inductees Have Been Revealed –

CM Punk
Cody Rhodes
Sabu
Gran Hamada
Spyros Arion
Dorrell Dixon
Bobby Bruns
Raoul Paoli

– @WONF4Wpic.twitter.com/7dqZPGgwSZ

— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) November 14, 2025

Other names included Sabu, Gran Hamada, Spyros Arion, Dorrell Dixon, Bobby Bruns, and Raoul Paoli. The aforementioned institution was created in 1996 by WON editorDave Meltzer.

CM Punk and Cody Rhodes Have No Official Challengers For Their Respective Titles in WWE

Right now, Cody Rhodes doesn’t have a number one contender for his Undisputed WWE Championship. Aleister Black challenged him last week on SmackDown, but their title bout was ruined by Drew McIntyre, who then got suspended. Damian Priest arrived to even the odds for the American Nightmare.

On the other hand, CM Punk has no challenger for this World Heavyweight Champion, but vowed to be a fighting champion. He then uttered some names whom he thought worthy of a title shot, like AJ Styles, Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, and even John Cena.

Jade Cargill, CM Punk, Ricky Saints, and Cody Rhodes backstage at SNME tonight with their Championships. pic.twitter.com/L3Kd0VUD8d

— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) November 2, 2025

Time will only tell who will be Punk and Rhodes’ number one contenders for their respective titles, especially with Survivor Series fast approaching. The upcoming premium live event will create implications as to who will step up and face the champions.

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

SHOW SUMMARY:Today we jump back 15 years to the Nov. 10, 2010 episode of the PWTorch Livecast featuring PWTorch editor Wade Keller and PWTorch columnist Pat McNeill discussing with live callers the Old School Raw on Monday, 2011 WWE Hall of Fame candidates, where Shawn Michaels fit in, might Undertaker retire if he didn’t wrestle at WrestleMania 27, TNA’s financial position, concussions and head trauma in pro wrestling vs. other sports, the Live Events Center, plus lightning strikes and Pat McNeill’s Monologue takes over for a great close to the show.

In the previously VIP-exclusive Aftershow, they discussed C.M. Punk as a color commentator while injured, the possibility of the new Michael Cole character to be revealed as Cole’s evil twin brother, and more.

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Carlos Beltrán, Bobby Valentine, Lee Mazzilli to be inducted into Mets Hall of Fame

\n\n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:” New York Mets on Thursday announced that outfielders Carlos Beltrán and Lee Mazzilli and manager Bobby Valentine will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2026. The date for the ceremony will be announced in the coming months. The three new additions will bring the total membership of the Mets Hall of Fame to 38.\n\nBeltrán ranks in the Top 10 in team history in home runs, RBI, runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. The Manati, Puerto Rico, native helped reinfuse the entire organization with optimism when he signed a seven-year contract in January 2005. He was a five-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger with the Amazinâ€s. Beltrán was second in the National League in bWAR (8.2) in 2006 as he helped the Mets advance to the NLCS.\n\n* Explore the Mets Hall of Fame\n\nHe returned to the Mets in January 2023, where he continues to work as a Special Assistant to President of Baseball Operations David Stearns. Beltrán received 70.3 percent of the BBWAA vote for the Hall of Fame last January, falling just short of the needed 75 percent for induction.”,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Video”,”contentDate”:”2020-11-28T02:08:00Z”,”preferredPlaybackScenarioURL({\”preferredPlaybacks\”:\”mp4AvcPlayback\”})”:” Beltrán makes the MLB top 10 Puerto Rican players list after his illustrious 20-year career “,”displayAsVideoGif”:false,”duration”:”00:01:53″,”slug”:”carlos-beltran-s-top-mlb-moments”,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-136860″,”title”:”Carlos Beltran”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:136860″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”classic”,”title”:”classic”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”epic-innings”,”title”:”Epic Innings”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”puerto-rico”,”title”:”Puerto Rico”,”type”:”taxonomy”}],”thumbnail”:{“__typename”:”Thumbnail”,”templateUrl”:” Beltrán’s top MLB moments”,”relativeSiteUrl”:”/video/carlos-beltran-s-top-mlb-moments”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”“Carlos†impact on the organization was and continues to be invaluable,†said Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen. “His unique blend of power, speed and defensive grace made him one of the most dynamic players ever to wear a Mets uniform. He is a respected voice inside the clubhouse, sharing his wisdom as a Special Assistant to David Stearns. We are extremely hopeful that he receives positive news this January when the Baseball Hall of Fame announces its 2026 class.â€\n\nMazzilli was a matinee idol for the Mets in the late 1970s. He had two stints with the Mets (1976-1981 and 1986-1989) and combined to slash .264/.357/.396 during his 10 years in Queens. Mazzilli twice finished in the Top 10 in the NL in OBP and walks. The Brooklyn native was named to the 1979 All-Star team and hit the first home run by a Met during the Midsummer Classic in Seattle. Mazzilli would draw a bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning to lift the National League to a 7-6 victory.”,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Video”,”contentDate”:”1979-07-17T04:56:00Z”,”preferredPlaybackScenarioURL({\”preferredPlaybacks\”:\”mp4AvcPlayback\”})”:” Mazzilli hits a home run in the 7th inning of the 1979 All-Star Game”,”displayAsVideoGif”:false,”duration”:”00:00:19″,”slug”:”lee-mazzilli-homers-in-1979-all-star-game”,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-121″,”title”:”New York Mets”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:121″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”vod”,”title”:”vod”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”classic”,”title”:”classic”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”all-star-game”,”title”:”All-Star Game”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”highlight”,”title”:”highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”in-game-highlight”,”title”:”in-game highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”home-run”,”title”:”home run”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-118499″,”title”:”Lee Mazzilli”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:118499″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”GameTag”}],”thumbnail”:{“__typename”:”Thumbnail”,”templateUrl”:” Mazzilli homers in 1979 All-Star Game”,”relativeSiteUrl”:”/video/lee-mazzilli-homers-in-1979-all-star-game”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”Mazzilli ranks sixth in franchise history with 152 stolen bases and is tied for fifth in team history with 38 pinch-hits. He went 2-3 with two runs scored in Game 6 and 7 of the 1986 World Series vs. Boston.”,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”“Lee was drafted by the Mets as an 18-year-old prospect out of Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn,†said the Cohens. “He debuted three years later for the 1976 Mets. He quickly became a fan favorite during the late ’70s and hit the first home run by a Met during an All-Star Game in 1979. Mazz returned to the Mets in 1986 and became a key contributor off the bench for the World Championship team, delivering clutch hits in the most crucial moments.â€\n\nValentine ranks third in team history with 536 wins guiding the Mets from 1996-2002. In 1999, he led the Mets to the Postseason for the first time since 1988. The following year, Valentine took the team to the World Series, becoming the first manager in Mets history to lead the team to consecutive playoff appearances.\n\nThe Stamford, CT, native was a key contributor to the clubâ€s immediate response to the 9/11 attacks, galvanizing his players and front office to raise money and volunteering for 9/11 related charities, in addition to making numerous trips to Ground Zero.\n\n“Bobby served as the charismatic manager of the Mets from 1996 to 2002,†said the Cohens. “He ranks third in franchise history with 536 wins and became the first skipper to guide the team to consecutive Postseason appearances, in 1999 and 2000 — a run that culminated in a trip to the World Series in 2000. 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Shortly after his appearance during the retirement match of his father, Sting, at AEW Revolution, it became apparent that Steve Borden Jr. had gotten the itch to wrestle. After a year of training with his father’s tag team partner, Darby Allin, Borden officially scratched that itch at a New York art gallery event in October, wrestling a match that involved Allin, AEW/ROH star JD Drake and former WWE star Karrion Kross. And it appears Borden enjoyed the experience enough that he will not just be one and done with wrestling.

Fightful Select reports that Borden is set to wrestle again on November 21 for the Pacific Northwest indie promotion DEFY Wrestling, at their AEON event Washington Square Hall in Seattle, Washington. Where his first match was a tag team bout, this one will see Borden thrown into the deep end of the pool, as he’ll wrestle in singles competition against Kiran Grey. It will be Borden’s first ever match for an independent promotion.

While this match won’t directly involve Allin, and it’s unclear if he’ll even be in attendance, there remain plenty of connections to him. Allin had previously been mainstay with DEFY while wrestling on the independent scene, and has continued to make appearances for them even after signing with AEW. It was also noted that Grey, an Atlanta based wrestler who has wrestled dark matches for Ring of Honor and had previously trained at the Nightmare Factory with WWE’s Cody Rhodes and AEW’s QT Marshall, has also become a student of Allin’s recently. It’s unclear if Borden and Grey had trained together while under Allin’s tutelage.

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Rob Van Dam had a loud, high-energy entrance in WWE, but the WWE Hall of Famer disliked one key element — the pyro.

Ever since his days in ECW, where he came out to Pantera’s Walk song, RVD’s entrance got fans off their feet. But, the high-flying star wasn’t a fan of the pyro that followed, which he talked about in a video on his YouTube channel. He said that the smoke from the pyro would often burn his eyes, which would’ve been a hindrance before a wrestling match.

“I used to hate my pyro in WWE and asked them not do to it because it would burn my eyes. It would hurt so bad when I would get — I just thought, I don’t need it. Everyone else needs that sh*t, but I don’t need it because I thought mine was [lame] too, it was like sparklers or something compared to the budget they put into it. Don’t even do it,” said RVD.

RVD, though, looking back on it in hindsight, thinks that his entrance may have been a tad boring without the pyro.

“I think I’m more into it now, having, you know, the gift of the bigger picture now. Probably would have been boring to come out without it,” he added.

Thankfully for RVD, the pyro didn’t cause any injuries, unlike for others in the pro wrestling business, such as The Undertaker, whose coat caught fire during an entrance, or Chris Jericho, who suffered minor burns during one in AEW.

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