Meet the (New) Met

Something a little different: here's a glimpse of Neil Walker in his minor league days for the Pirates' AAA Indianapolis farm club in May 2010. He'll take over as the Mets 2nd baseman next summer, after being traded to New York for Jon Niese.
Below, a name from today's baseball birthday list. It's not a superstar or headline-maker, but a guy who loved the game and played it professionally for 15 years. It's candles and cake time for Andy Tracy.
This 16 year veteran of the minor leagues totaled 296 career homers, but never caught on for keeps in the majors. Check the back of his baseball card: he made stops in Ottawa, New Orleans, Norfolk, Tulsa, Lehigh Valley and Reno -- not to overlook Cape Fear! Just a few "cups of coffee" with the Expos, Rockies and Phillies sprinkled in. December 11th isn't a day packed with living legends or present-day stars on the birthday list. So let's salute Andy Tracy for a being the personification of the movie For the Love of the Game.

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