Neil A. Carousso produces NewsNation original “Kurt’s Country” – a celebration of country music and a slice of Americana with host Kurt Bardella.
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WATCH: “They’re there right now.” Mets Broadcaster Howie Rose Says the Amazins’ are 2015 Contenders; Howie Also Talks about Mike Piazza’s PED Speculation and This Year’s Hall of Fame Inductees
By Neil A. Carousso
Flushing, NY — Prior to the middle game of a three game series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets at Citi Field on July 11, I sat down with Howie Rose, who has been in the Mets broadcast booth for 20 years on both radio and television, to discuss the 2015 Mets team and the Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2015 with that part of the interview airing during WRHU-FM’s Hall of Fame coverage in Cooperstown, New York this weekend.
“They’re there right now,” Rose said when asked if the Metropolitans can contend for a playoff bid in 2015, despite being second-to-last in runs scored, just ahead of the Chicago White Sox. “There are enough bats here so that with their pitching as good as its been, they should be able to compete,” said Rose.
The 61-year-old sports broadcaster has seen the game evolve over the years from the “steroid era,” when there was an abundance of sluggers in the game, to baseball dominated by stellar pitching with young arms like Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard of the Mets and 2015 all-star game starters Dallas Keuchel of the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers right hander Zach Greinke, to name a few.
“It’s a pitchers game right now,” remarked Rose, adding, “There are good young hitters in this game; they just need to develop a few more of them.”
On the topic of the aforementioned “steroid era,” former Mets catcher Mike Piazza came to mind, not because he is highly suspected of using performance enhancing drugs, but because he has been held out of the Hall of Fame after three years on the ballot.
“I feel there’s an inevitability to Mike Piazza going to Cooperstown,” said Rose. “He’s part of an era where everybody’s under some suspicion and I think he’s somewhat victimized by that.”
In the video above, Rose also recalls Piazza’s eighth inning home run that brought a sold-out Shea Stadium crowd to their feet on September 21, 2001, the day baseball returned to New York after the tragic terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Howie, who called the game on Fox Sports Network, remembers it as an “Americana” moment.
Meanwhile, Rose addressed the 2015 Hall of Fame class, the largest players class inducted in 60 years.
First thing that comes to mind when Rose thinks of Long Island, New York native, 20-year Astro Craig Biggio is “consistent.” Biggio is 21st all-time in hits with 3,060, along with a .281 average and 291 home runs.
He called Randy Johnson, 2nd in strikeouts all-time with 4,875 K’s, “imposing,” adding he was “as intimidating as a pitcher as perhaps there ever was in the game.” The “Big Unit” has the 22nd most wins all-time with a record of 303-166. He played 22 years with seven teams, where he threw one perfect game, as a member of the D-Backs, against the Atlanta Braves in May 2009 to become the 17th pitcher in history to throw a perfecto. Johnson also pitched 100 complete games.
Pedro Martinez, one of three pitchers in this 2015 class, pitched 18 years and dominated the game in 1999, when he went 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA for the Boston Red Sox. Pedro was also in Queens for four seasons, although injured for some of his time in blue and orange.
“I think my favorite memory of Pedro had nothing to do with performance as it did attitude,” Rose said, while he recounted a story in which the sprinklers went off in-between innings at Shea. Pedro, who was the starting pitcher that day, was the least affected by the situation, according to Rose, who points out how routine oriented and superstitious baseball players are, especially starting pitchers.
Meanwhile, John Smoltz, who’s former Atlanta Braves teammates Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine were enshrined last year, along with his manager Bobby Cox, will be inducted in Cooperstown on Sunday. Being in the National League East, Smoltz faced the Mets as both a starter and closer often.
“I kind of look at him as a pitching version of Craig Biggio,” remarked Rose. He excelled in two totally different ways just as Biggio did at two totally different positions,” Rose said continuing, “I, again, tip my cap to someone who was able to A, recover from adversity, and B, show an almost unparalleled, with the exception of [Hall of Fame pitcher] Dennis Eckersley, to an extreme in two different areas that are very very hard to do.” “[Smoltz is a] no doubt Hall of Famer in my mind.”
The Mets are two games out of first place behind the Washington Nationals, going into tonight’s head-to-head match-up in the nation’s capital. After a three-game series in Washington this week, the two NL East teams will play at Citi Field in a weekend series next week.
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Neil A. Carousso Delivers 2 ½ hours of Exclusive Hall of Fame Coverage on July 26
For all media, press, sponsorship and business inquiries please email media@caroussoenterprises.com.
New York, NY – Saturday, July 18, 2015 – Award-winning multi-media journalist, producer and talk show host Neil A. Carousso gears up for his 2nd Annual Hall of Fame coverage on WRHU-FM live from Cooperstown, NY at the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony, featuring 2 ½ hours of programming on Sunday, July 26, 2015.
Carousso (left) and Howie Rose, the radio voice of the New York Mets smile before an interview at Citi Field in Flushing, NY, parts of which will air on “WRHU’s 2nd Annual Hall of Fame Live Special with Neil A. Carousso” “There are so many storylines and excitement that builds up for the Hall of Fame Weekend,” said Carousso, who is the executive producer of WRHU’s Hall of Fame coverage. “Being that this is our second year, I truly believe that the programming will be even more engaging.”
The 2 ½ hours of WRHU’s coverage begins at 11 AM EDT/8 AM PDT on Sunday, July 26, exclusively on 88.7 FM WRHU in New York and streaming online in high definition on www.WRHU.org and the FREE WRHU mobile app.
Guests on the “Long Island Community Spotlight Special with Basia and Neil A. Carousso,” which airs from 11-12 noon eastern, include John Thorn, the official historian of Major League Baseball, Craig Muder from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and a New York baseball writer.
Guests on “WRHU’s 2nd Annual Hall of Fame Lives Special with Neil A. Carousso,” which airs from 12 noon-1:30 eastern, include the 2015 Hall of Fame class, the largest player class in 60 years, consisting of Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz. Other notable guests include Kenny Albert, national baseball play-by-play broadcaster for Fox Sports, Howie Rose, the radio voice of the New York Mets and Bob Nightengale, national sports writer for USA Today and voting member of the Baseball Writer’s Association of America.
Hall of Famers Joe Torre (pictured with Neil A. Carousso in the left picture) and Rollie Fingers
(sitting in the picture on the right) were guests of Neil’s first program from Cooperstown in 2014.“The big topics next weekend will include the controversial ‘steroid era’ for sure, but even more this year, the question of whether or not the all-time hits leader Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame,” Carousso said. “I will certainly be covering these topics with expert guests – baseball writers and broadcasters; however, on the flip side, we cannot forget about the celebration of America’s Pastime.”
In addition to executive producing WRHU’s coverage, Neil serves as the co-host of the Long Island Community Spotlight and the solo host for the #HOFLiveSpecial, along with reporting duties all weekend. Carousso will also give the audience a VIP pass to Cooperstown via articles, including breaking news and anecdotes from Hall of Famers, and video features, exclusive to Carousso Enterprises’ www.NeilACarousso.com.
“It’s always enjoyable to be around a group of Hall of Fame players who were so great at their sport and just take in their stories from ‘back in the day’ and just marvel at what they accomplished at the highest level,” remarked Carousso.
“Long Island Community Spotlight with Basia and Neil A. Carousso” and “WRHU’s 2nd Annual Hall of Fame Live Special with Neil A. Carousso” are radio talk shows in which baseball fans and enthusiasts honor and celebrate the men inducted that Sunday afternoon in Cooperstown and discuss the latest topics in the sport, while celebrating its 170-year history, highlighted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum.
About Carousso Enterprises:
Carousso Enterprises is a sole-proprietorship company with endeavors in media content, news, sports, entertainment, among other media, journalism and business entities. It is the corporate brand and site of content produced for www.NeilACarousso.com by Neil A. Carousso, president & owner of Carousso Enterprises.
www.NeilACarousso.com and Carousso Enterprises are owned and operated businesses and copyrights/trademarks, along with its respective logos, websites and products, of Neil A. Carousso under the Carousso Enterprises sole-proprietorship company and brand. For media inquiries, please email media@caroussoenterprises.com.
About Neil A. Carousso:
Neil A. Carousso is an award-winning multi-media journalist, producer and executive producer. He is an entrepreneur, who founded Carousso Enterprises – a sole-proprietorship company with endeavors in media content, news, sports, entertainment, among other media, journalism and business entities. As the President & Owner of Carousso Enterprises, Neil produces all content on www.NeilACarousso.com and manages www.CaroussoEnterprises.com, the corporate website.
Neil is a producer extraordinaire, booking top celebrities, professional and Hall of Fame athletes, Olympians, inspiring individuals and various experts. In addition to producing, executive producing and hosting on-location talk shows at venues like the National Baseball Hall of Fame, U.S. Open Tennis Championship, Belmont Stakes, PGA Tour events, Empire Challenge and red carpet coverage, he is the morning drive producer and host of Marconi award-winning WRHU-FM in New York. Its variety talk show allows for lively talk, expert analysis and interviews with notable guests, experts and politicians on topics including civil unrest in Baltimore, Maryland and Ferguson, Missouri, local protests in New York City, the tragic disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines flight 370, the crash of flight MH17, health care, domestic violence and other local, national and international issues with debates, among other news topics mixed with entertainment features and sports talk.
In addition to his role as Morning Wake-Up Call producer and host, Neil is the producer and anchor of “Newsline,” the Associated Press award-winning evening news broadcast on WRHU-FM. He is a sports update anchor and producer of the New York Islanders Radio Network and the Hofstra Pride Sports Network and occasionally calls the play-by-play of sporting events like baseball games.
Neil embarked on his career at a young age, founding a school newspaper in junior high school and becoming the public address announcer for Saint Francis Preparatory School at the age of twelve. The “Voice of Saint Francis Prep,” created SFP TV, a live streaming service in which Neil served as the executive producer, sole sports broadcaster, news anchor and reporter. He spearheaded marketing and public relations initiatives, inking sponsorship deals with local newspapers and MSG Varsity, where he also served as a guest play-by-play sports broadcaster and general assignment reporter.
He is currently a Provost Scholar dual degree student at Hofstra University, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism with a Political Science minor and a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master’s of Science in Accounting. Neil resides in New York City.
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John Greenburg
Sports historian and insider John Greenburg joins Neil A. Carousso to discuss the Greg Hardy suspension in relation to a domestic violence case and Tom Brady’s suspension appeal ruling on “DeflateGate.”
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Holy Harvey! Mets Ace Settles In, Pitches Gem and Hits First Major League Homer
In SportsBy Neil A. Carousso
Flushing, NY — After pitching a first inning reminiscent of his home outing against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, June 10 in which Matt Harvey gave up two first inning runs on a home run by Giants second baseman Joe Panik, ultimately suffering his fourth loss of the season, the “Dark Knight” pitched an impeccable game and added a notch to his belt at the plate. Despite only four hits, the Mets provided enough offense to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 in the second game of a three-game series at Citi Field.
Mets manager Terry Collins addresses the New York media post-game. “This guy competes; it’s unbelievable,” said New York Mets manager Terry Collins after the game. “As the game went along, the better his command,” added the skipper.
Harvey settled in after giving up a two-run home run to D-Backs shortstop David Peralta in the first inning. It was Peralta’s eighth home run on the season, batting second in the Arizona line-up.
Meanwhile, the Amazins’ offense awakened in the fifth inning, after being one-hit through four. Lucas Duda, who crushed a three-run home run in Friday night’s first inning, hit an opposite field solo homer Saturday afternoon in the fifth.
“He’s a stinking, working fool,” Collins said of his first baseman, adding, “He and Kevin [Long] (Mets hitting coach) have gotten together, talked about a couple of things that he needs to do mechanically, Lucas is trying, and it’s starting to pay off.”
Duda went 1 for 2 with that homer and that lone RBI and run, along with a walk in the sixth. He has just 3 hits in 24 at-bats in his last seven games. However, Duda has homered in back-to-back games for the second time this season. He also did so on May 27 and 29 against the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins in Queens. In addition, the Mets slugger is now hitting .312 (25-80) versus lefty pitchers this season.
Three batters after Duda’s fifth inning blast, third baseman Eric Campbell walked to set-up Harvey’s momentum lifting at-bat. Number 33 helped himself, crushing a 93 mph two-seam fastball from D-Backs starter Patrick Corbin over the left-centerfield fence. The play was reviewed, which lasted 1 minute and 39 seconds, but the play was upheld as it was evident that the ball cleared the orange line at the top of the blue outfield fence, while a fan reached over the Party City Deck railing at Citi Field to catch Harvey’s first major league home run. It was the first home run by a pitcher since Mets right-handed starter Noah Syndergaard hit a home run to centerfield on May 27 of this year against the Phillies, a highlight of a 7-0 Mets win.
“I know they work at it,” Collins said of his pitchers performance at the plate, enthusiastically adding, “Thor doesn’t have anything over Bam Bam anymore!”
Thor is an endearing nickname given to Syndergaard, whom many say resembles the character’s physical features. “Bam Bam” is a nickname attributed to Harvey.
Mets starters are batting .172 this season with two home runs and 15 RBIs.
This Mets team has been playing better of late, going 4-2 against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Giants on the west coast, before coming home to play the Diamondbacks before the all-star break.
Mets shortstop Reuben Tejada, who came into the game batting .236 with one home run, ripped a homer off Corbin to lead-off the home half of the sixth inning, which cleared the left field fence. Corbin was then taken out, after 5+ innings pitched. He gave up four hits, four earned runs, a walk and three home runs. The lefty struck out five batters in the loss. After Corbin exited the ballgame, the Mets didn’t get another hit.
Meanwhile, after Harvey gave up two runs on one hit in the first inning, the Dark Knight gave up four hits and no runs, capped off by the pitcher’s best friend, a 4-6-3 double play at the seventh inning stretch, an inning Collins let him start with a limited number of pitches left. He threw 109 pitches for his eighth win of the season; Harvey is now 8-6 with a 3.07 ERA. He was pinch-hit for by Curtis Granderson with two-outs in the bottom of the seventh. Former Met lefty Oliver Perez came in to face the lefty batter. Harvey gave up five hits and 2 runs over his seven innings of work. The Mets power-pitcher walked four batters and sat-down nine.
“As he continues to get stronger, continues to get through this post-surgery thing, he’s going to be as good as he ever was,” Collins said of his potential ace. “He’s got the same make-up he always had.”
Bobby Parnell entered the game in relief in the eighth inning to set-up Jeurys Familia, who earned his 26th save of the 2015 season with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, including a strikeout.
With the win, the Mets have won three straight games. The Amazins’ are 6-2 in their last eight contests. New York improves to 46-42 and inches to a game and a half behind the Washington Nationals, who visits the Baltimore Orioles in a Saturday night contest at Camden Yards, but as the Nats beat the O’s 7-4, the Metropolitans remain two games behind Washington in the N.L. East.
New York will look to sweep the Diamondbacks Sunday afternoon at Citi Field, before the all-star break, with Jonathan Niese (4-8, 3.58) on the mound against Rubby De La Rosa (6-4, 4.89). The Mets are 31-14 on their home field, after 45 games played in Flushing, which is tied for the best start in franchise history with the 1986 and 1988 ball clubs; the Amazins’ .689 winning percentage is the second-best in the majors.
However, Mets fans know the team will need to add a bat in the line-up in order to be competitive in 2015.
Author Neil A. Carousso (left) interviews Howie Rose, the radio voice of the Mets for an upcoming video feature. (Photo Credit: Christian Ladigoski, Carousso Enterprises.) “Right now I’m not sure if they should do it,” remarked Howie Rose about trading one of the plentiful young Mets pitchers for a hitter. Rose is in his 20th season in the Mets broadcast booth. “They could be developing something really really special here.”
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2nd Annual Radio Show from Cooperstown Features Hall of Famers and Storytellers of the Game
New York, NY – Wednesday, July 8, 2015 – Award-winning multi-media journalist, producer and talk show host Neil A. Carousso gears up for his 2nd Annual Hall of Fame Live Special on WRHU-FM live from Cooperstown, NY at the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Carousso hosts his first show from Cooperstown on July 27, 2014 and reports from the 2014 Hall of Fame induction ceremony. “The Town of Cooperstown is quaint, beautiful, and all you see are lovers of the sport, wearing caps and jerseys,” Carousso said, adding, “The National Baseball Hall of Fame Weekend is like a congregation of fans, who come to relive those special moments and honor America’s Pastime in a very special way.”
“WRHU’s 2nd Annual Hall of Fame Live Special with Neil A. Carousso” will air on Sunday, July 26, 2015 from noon-1:30 EDT/9-10:30 AM PDT. Special guests include the 2015 Hall of Fame class, the largest players class in history, consisting of Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz. Other notable guests include Kenny Albert, who broadcasts national Major League Baseball games on FOX Sports, along with calling the other three major sports on the national and regional level on both television and radio, and Howie Rose, the radio play-by-play voice of the New York Mets. Other Hall of Fame guests, broadcasters and baseball writers have not been announced, yet.
Hall of Famer Joe Torre was a guest of Neil’s first program from Cooperstown in 2014. “All four of these players dominated some aspect of baseball and are well deserving of their induction into the Hall of Fame,” said Carousso. “I’m looking forward to discussing the pivotal moments of their careers with them plus major topics in baseball, including the controversial ‘steroid era’ topic, in interviews with Kenny Albert and Howie Rose, who have been mainstays on national games and the Mets radio broadcasts, respectfully,” added Carousso.
Carousso interviews young baseball fans
in Cooperstown.Neil executive produces all Hall of Fame coverage and the special radio program, and is the sole reporter and solo host of the Live Special for WRHU-FM, which can be heard on 88.7 FM in New York and online in high definition on www.WRHU.org. WRHU also has a free mobile app for iPhone and Android. All content will be available on www.NeilACarousso.com, after airing on WRHU. Carousso will give the audience a VIP pass to Cooperstown via articles, including breaking news and anecdotes from Hall of Famers, and video features, exclusive to Carousso Enterprises’ www.NeilACarousso.com.
“This is the second year I am covering the Hall of Fame Weekend, so at least I know what to expect,” remarked Carousso. “It’s always enjoyable to be around a group of Hall of Fame players who were so great at their sport and just take in their stories from ‘back in the day’ and just marvel at what they accomplished at the highest level.”
Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers was a guest of Neil’s first program from Cooperstown in 2014. “WRHU’s 2nd Annual Hall of Fame Live Special with Neil A. Carousso” is a radio talk show in which baseball fans and enthusiasts honor and celebrate the men inducted that Sunday afternoon in Cooperstown and discuss the latest topics in the sport, while celebrating its 170-year history, highlighted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum.
