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New Met Prevails Over Newer Met!!!

Rotblatt
Jan 31 2006 11:34 AM

]Delgado & Beltran bash HRs, chatter

BY CHRISTIAN RED
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

SAN JUAN - With about ten thousand screaming fans packed into Hiram Bithorn Stadium, a steady thump of reggaeton blaring from the outfield and the added advantage of an aluminum bat, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado waged a power war yesterday that would have left A-Rod impressed.
The two Mets teammates and fellow Puerto Rican countrymen - Beltran is from Manati; Delgado grew up in the western coastal town of Aguadilla - starred in a home run derby billed as "The Battle of the Carlos." Each took turns trying to slug 400-foot dingers and the switch-hitting Beltran (batting lefty) even briefly channeled Mickey Mantle when five of his blasts sailed all the way out of the park. The event helped raise $75,000 for the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School near San Juan, which provides academic scholarships and baseball training to Puerto Rican players.

Near the first-base dugout, it was hard not to notice the smiles of Mets owner Jeff Wilpon and GM Omar Minaya, who spent the last two winters trying to land first Beltran and then Delgado.

"It took another year, but we got our man," Wilpon said yesterday, referring to the November trade that brought Delgado a year after he spurned the Mets.

Both players dismissed the idea that Minaya is trying to assemble an all-Latin team - which has been a hot topic on New York sports talk radio.

"I want to congratulate (Minaya) publicly, because he's done everything within his power to make that ballclub better," Delgado said. "I read a quote that Omar said, 'All I'm trying to do is field the (best) team that I can, whether it's Latin, American, Japanese or whatever.' If we're good and we happen to be Latino, so be it."

Beltran, entering the second season of his $119 million, seven-year deal with the Mets, said in Spanish that Minaya "is not guilty of getting all of the available Latino players. It's just a coincidence that most of the players on the (free agent) market happen to be Latino."

With Wilpon sitting to his right, Beltran added, "If the owner is not saying anything about what Minaya is doing, why is it an issue?"

For the record, Beltran edged Delgado 8-6 in the individual competition and 18-7 in the team portion. The two will play together on the Puerto Rican team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, which will have some of its games played at Hiram Bithorn.

Originally published on January 31, 2006

Edgy DC
Jan 31 2006 11:51 AM

Jeff Wilpon is now being billed as the owner?

Centerfield
Jan 31 2006 11:59 AM

Rotblatt prevails over Seawolf in battle to post about Battle of Carloses!!!
Edges fellow poster 11:34 to 11:39, Seawolf to demand recount

metirish
Jan 31 2006 12:00 PM

Yeah but seawolf had pictures......

Edgy DC
Jan 31 2006 12:03 PM

The one with the photos also correctly identifies Jeff Wilpon as CEO.

sharpie
Jan 31 2006 12:58 PM

After playing a whole year and given the shakeup of the club, I'm not sure calling Beltran a "new Met" makes much sense. A "New Met Beats Newer Met" headline would make more sense if Xavier Nady beat Delgado.

seawolf17
Jan 31 2006 12:59 PM

That's what I get for taking too long typing out captions.

Edgy DC
Jan 31 2006 01:09 PM

I think the race to post new information first really detracts from these types of fora/message boards. Don't you change a thing about your beautiful mad captioning style

Rotblatt
Jan 31 2006 01:50 PM

sharpie wrote:
After playing a whole year and given the shakeup of the club, I'm not sure calling Beltran a "new Met" makes much sense. A "New Met Beats Newer Met" headline would make more sense if Xavier Nady beat Delgado.


I was going for the whole "The New Mets" phrase that Beltran coined, but I guess it's not funny when you have to explain it, huh?

And seawolf, you played a heck of a game today. Nice work!

PatchyFogg
Feb 03 2006 10:47 AM

Edgy DC wrote:
Jeff Wilpon is now being billed as the owner?


Mom always liked him best.