Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas got swept in a doubleheader with Iowa, 2-1 and 6-5
• Binghamton dropped to New Britain, 9-3.
• St. Lucie dropped Dunedin, 5-3.
• Savannah dropped to Charleston, 2-0. 
  

Prospect Pipeline

• Zack Wheeler gets back on the hill this afternoon against the Iowa Cubs. The Mets top prospect is back on-track to pitch every five days beginning today for the Las Vegas 51s. Sandy Alderson stopped by the SNY booth during last night’s game and added that if Wheeler has two or three more good starts, he will be considered for a promotion. When asked if there was anything that will keep Wheeler from being promoted he said, “as long as he’s healthy, he’ll be promoted.” We still believe that his first start will come on the road and probably come during the five-game Braves series in June.
• Rafael Montero got promoted and still dominated. I couldn’t have been more impressed with Montero’s start. He shows command of his pitches, knows how to get hitters out, works quickly, and can battle back from adverse situations — what more do we have to see? If Montero is sent back to Double-A, it will leave many scratching their heads. With his performance today, he showed that he belongs at the Triple-A level. Even more impressive is the fact that he did this against a Iowa Cubs lineup who has a bunch of guys with previous major league experience. Alderson said that Montero will return to Double-A Binghamton, but expects him to be back with Triple-A Las Vegas mid-season. He sees no reason why Montero cant be in the big leagues before the end of the year.
  
• Cesar Puello is one of the hottest hitters in the Mets organization right now. He added another hit last night, a two-run homer, his sixth long ball in May. He is hitting .338 this month. Check out MetsMinors.net for a Prospect Pulse on Puello.
• Mets officials say Brandon Nimmo was prepared to return from a long absence for a bruised hand when he tweaked his lower back. Nimmo, the organization’s 2011 first-round pick, last appeared for Savannah on April 29.
• Darryl Strawberry will be representing the Mets at this year’s upcoming draft.
• After two hits in last night’s game, St. Lucie second baseman and leadoff hitter T.J. Rivera has gotten his batting average back up to .300 on the year.
• Alex Panteliodis has been solid this season since coming off the disabled list, and last night was no different. The 22-year old southpaw went 5.2 frames allowing two runs (1ER) on four hits while walking two and punching out four, picking up his first win of the season. So far this year, he has 17 strikeouts to only four walks in 21.2 innings of work.

Stat Line of the Day

Rafael Montero: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Transactions

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Quote of the Day 

Sandy Alderson spoke about Travis d’Arnaud last night:

He expects that as long as he he returns from the broken foot, he will be with the Mets at some point this season. However, Alderson added that d’Arnaud might not begin playing at Triple-A again until July 1, and he needs to get more minor league games under his belt. “He’s only played in ten or fifteen games over the last year. It’s going to take some time to get back into game shape. Ultimately we need to get him some playing time.”

The bio reveals some shocking and even sad details about his life in baseball and the toll that drug addiction took on his career and his life.

Gooden believes if he had died the moment the Mets won the World Series in 1986, he would have saved many people a great deal of grief – starting with himself.

The mercurial former ace’s downward spiral began just minutes after Jesse Orosco tossed his glove in the air to celebrate the Amazin’s comeback victory over the Red Sox, Gooden writes in his new autobiography “Doc: A Memoir.”

The first call Gooden made after becoming World Series champion was his father. The second was his drug dealer. That night, Gooden went on a cocaine and booze bender that ended up causing him to miss the Mets’ victory parade. Instead, he watched the celebration on television at his home – a moment he describes as the loneliest he has ever felt.

“As my teammates road through the Canyon of Heroes, I was alone in my bed in Roslyn, Long Island, with the curtains closed and the TV on, missing what should have been the greatest morning of my life,” Gooden wrote.

The book reportedly chronicles Gooden’s rise to become one of the best young pitchers in baseball history, his years with the Yankees and his complicated relationship with Darryl Strawberry.

People make mistakes, and Dwight has made a lot of them. But we have always been a forgiving people and we now know that drug addiction is a disease that can sometimes grip you and never let go.

I’m glad Gooden didn’t die and I’m even happier to see him continuing to fight through his addiction. It’s a never-ending battle.

I was talking about Gooden just last night and discussed how cool it is that this one-time mets pitching phenom is the one leading the charge and heading up the Matt Harvey Fan Club. He never misses one of his starts and he takes to Twitter every five days and joins the rest of us to cheer Harvey on.

Doc’s always had a good heart and many times I often wonder just how great his career could have been before the drugs took him down that dark path. To this day, his rookie season was one of the most thrilling and exciting times of my life as a Met fan. The World Series in 1986 was the cherry on top. I will always love Dwight Gooden for that.

Pre Order “Doc: A Memoir” Now!

Fast forward ten years to the days of competing for the right to command the front and back pages of the local New York newspapers with the Yankees. Winning baseball didn’t seem to consist of just developing the youth, it mattered most about getting the right players in a trade or free agency to try and win each and every year. Some years it was successful and other years it was just a terrible waste of money.

The 2000 Mets seemed to have the right pieces in place with some home grown players mixed in with a group of veterans brought in to help the Mets finally reach what they hadn’t done in nearly 14 years, and that is not just make it back to the World Series, but actually win again. With a city focused on Yankee baseball, the right ingredients were what mattered most for the Mets. And in 2000, they had the right team that made it back to the World Series, but this time met a Yankees team that was stronger and more experienced winning the big game, so the Mets settled for another year waiting in second place to the Yankees and longing for that elusive ring.

With six more years of trying to get it right, the Mets tried again to bring in talent from out of the organization through trade and free agency and had a team that the starting lineup consisted of only two homegrown players as in David Wright and Jose Reyes. This mix of players took them to the brink of another World Series appearance, only to be beaten by the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS and once again sending the organization back to the drawing board to try and get it right.

Well in 2013, I believe they finally have the pieces in place to maybe mimic the youth movement of the early to mid 1980’s. Twenty Seven years later, the Mets have decided to go with what they knew best back in the day, to build a team around a few stars, but allow their younger players to grow into superstars.

The lineup that the Mets posted on Opening Day 2013 included six home grown players and the 25 man roster today in total includes 15 players that are from the Mets minor league system. Very impressive when you consider what that would mean to a team in a big market who needs to put a winning product on the field each year. But for the Mets, with the talent that they are producing have set themselves up for many years to come with players that will grow up together and with the hopes of only getting better and one day winning that elusive ring that the franchise has longed for since the last one in 1986. And the Mets are not done yet with two young studs, catcher Travis d’Arnaud (Trade with Blue Jays) and Pitcher Zack Wheeler waiting for their turn to call Citi field their home, hopefully later this season.

This year may not produce a Mets World Championship, but once again there is a future in the Mets part of town and it is exciting. The season is very young (only six games in) but they are already exciting to watch and they are young and just want to play baseball. That is something not seen in NY in a very long time, but something that has been well worth the wait. This season is gearing up to be an exciting run for the Mets with an upside to the whole equation; the Mets are young and only going to get better. The Youth Movement is back in Queens.

Dwight Gooden was there this morning and we can expect to see future postings as his latest issue with the law unravels.

GOODEN: Once upon a time. (AP)

Gooden, long out of baseball but not forgotten by Mets fans, allegedly threatened his estranged wife, Monique, on Friday, when he should have been on a back field in Port St. Lucie tutoring what he once was – a hot, young prospect.

It would have been nice if Gooden had a second career in the sun, literally and figuratively. It’s not like he hasn’t had chances. The Yankees gave him several when George Steinbrenner was alive and he would have been welcomed by the Mets had he not struggled with drug, alcohol and law issues.

Monique Gooden called police and filed a restraining order. He was forced to move out of the house he and his wife are living in until their divorce becomes final.

Reportedly, Gooden threatened his wife, saying: “All bets are off and I will hurt you and your family. You’ll see, just wait.’’

A DUI, well, a team can live with that on a player’s record. Not pleasant, but doable. It is especially possible if the player had a remarkable career and once was a face of that franchise, as Gooden was with the Mets.

However, such a threat, especially if carried out, is not the image a team wants to project. There has to be considerable damage control if Gooden is to ever again represent the Mets.

Or, any other major league team for that matter.

That is, of course, unless something bad happens to him, such as jail, or worse.

Gooden will no longer have visitation rights with his two children until a hearing, March 11. In the interim, Gooden can contemplate where it all went wrong.

The drug problems began shortly after the 1985 and 1986 seasons, which were his early days with the Mets, and unfortunately, the highlight of his career. There once was a night a decade later, when nearing the end with the Yankees, he threw the no-hitter one expected of him whenever he took the mound at Shea Stadium.

Throwing what Kevin Costner said in “Bull Durham’’ was “ungodly stuff in the show,’’ Gooden was the inspiration of the “Ks’’ banners and cards that fans hung over the stadium railings. Gooden was electric in those days when he owned the summer nights at Shea.

We knew it wouldn’t last forever as it never does, but were shocked and angered and saddened knowing Gooden was throwing away his career with drugs and booze. We once were enthralled with the hard- partying Mets of 1986 and even glorified them, but also knew at the same time knew life on the ledge couldn’t end happily.

For different reasons, but ultimately the same one – a lack of self-control – it didn’t well for Gooden. For Darryl Strawberry. For Lenny Dykstra. Wally Backman is still paying the price.

Nearing the end of his life, Mickey Mantle talked of role models and said, “don’t be like me.’’ At one time, there wasn’t a kid around who didn’t want to be like Gooden, standing alone on the mound awash in the cheers and adulation that comes with being the greatest.

Gooden is again alone as he faces another life crisis, but there’s nobody who wants to be like him.

And, that’s just sad.

Over the last month or so, the Carlos Beltran rumors have heated up to the max. It has quickly became a “when” Mets deal Carlos Beltran instead of “if”.

Ken Rosenthal reports the Red Sox and Phillies have been the most persistent thus far. That may be true and I’m not discounting that, however I don’t believe Carlos Beltran will be in either uniform come August 31st.

The Red Sox lack that true “blue chip” prospect that Sandy Alderson is apparently coveting. They traded away top prospects such as Casey Kelly (currently tearing it up for the Padres in minors), Reymond Fuentes (Beltran’s cousin), and Anthony Rizzo (recently made MLB debut).

The Phillies have one or two stud prospects. One happens to be a slick hitting RF named Domonic Brown. Brown draws a lot of loose comparisons to Darryl Strawberry due to his long swing and power ability. While I would take Domonic Brown in a heartbeat, I highly doubt the Phillies are willing to deal potential future star in division just to possibly guarantee another championship. But hey you never know…

Since early March I’ve pegged the San Francisco Giants as a perfect fit for Carlos Beltran come the deadline. And this is before Buster Posey got injured. Now with Posey out the Giants lack a big bat to glue together their lineup. Not to mention the gaping hole in RF>

Early this season MMO did a poll to see everyones guesses for 2011 NLCS. I picked Giants and Phillies (mainly because of their pitching). A rematch of 2010 all over again in 2011.

Now imagine this? Start a bidding war for Carlos Beltran between the Giants and Phillies. Both teams know he could put their team over the edge come the playoffs. Now were talking about huge prospect packages in return. Especially if the Mets are willing to eat Beltran’s salary like predicted.

What prospects can we expect from the Giants? Gary Brown (top OF prospect, batting .313/7 HR/56 RBI in Single-A at age 22.) (*also has 39 SB!)…Zack Wheeler? (Top pitching prospect) Both? I doubt we could get both, but one is certainly going to happen if Giants want Beltran.

Oh and as for the Phillies? If they want Beltran, Dom Brown’s name better the first thing out of Ruben Amaro’s mouth when he calls Sandy.

After these individuals won a special place in our hearts forever, they all wound up playing for that other team, wearing those stupid pin stripes. Doc pitched a no-hitter in 96, a decade after he won a World Series ring with us. In 1999, David Cone pitched only the 14^th Perfecto in history–and yes, while pitching for the Yankees.

Through our five decades, the role of our arch rival has changed. Over the last several years, it’s been the Phillies. We spent the 1990’s hating the Braves and Chipper Jones. In the 80’s it was the Cardinals. In the 70’s, it was the Pirates.

The longest standing rivalry, however, is the one we have with the Yankees. It’s not just due to the somewhat recent advent of inter-league play or the endless competition for the back page of the newspaper. It goes back to 1961, when the New York Mets were only a concept. And the Yankees sought legal action to prevent NY baseball retuning to the NL.

All in all, there’ve been 111 players who’ve played for both teams. And yes, it sometimes hurts. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who nearly threw up the first time I saw Darryl in that stupid Yankee uniform.

The Yankees have always been adept at replacing one legend with another. Bill Dickey retired in 1946 and was replaced behind the plate by Yogi Berra. One year after Babe Ruth was gone, his cleats were filled by the great Joe DiMaggio. And as DiMaggio’s career wound down, he gave way to some kid named Mantle. Even recently, as the Yankees saw an aging Reggie Jackson produce less, they brought in another future Hall of Famer in Dave Winfield to lessen the blow of losing Reggie.

The Yankees, once again, are facing the end of another legend. In just over one month, Derek Jeter will be 37. That’s tough for any ballplayer, but especially for the every day rigors of playing shortstop. It’s safe to say that Jeter’s best days are behind him. Yes, he’ll flash some brilliance now and then and he does show signs of life. But #2 has quickly become a very old 36.

Enter the Mets. We’re a team that is struggling, a team that is on the brink of rebuilding. A team that, somehow, has no money. We all know that Reyes and Beltran are on borrowed time, as well as possibly David Wright. Or even Santana, if he was healthy.

The prospect of Jose ultimately playing SS in The Bronx is downright disgusting. No, the Mets wont trade him directly to the Yankees. But if, in fact, Reyes is sent packing at the deadline and then can not come to terms with his new team, he would enter the Free Agent market. And you know the Yankees would be waiting with open arms…and an open check book.

Assuming Jeter would agree to move to another position (and knowing his team loyalty, he most likely would), replacing a Yankee legend such as he with a Jose Reyes would again lessen the blow to Yankee fans. Unlike Chuck Knoblauch, Reyes is fully capable of handling the NY media.

And, in all honesty, wouldn’t the Yankees brass just love shoving that in our face? As of now, Jose is leading the team in BA, hits, doubles and triples. He is the Mets all-time leader in Runs, triples, SB’s, 4^th in hits and 5^th in doubles.

We are 37-54 against them in inter-league play. In the last 15 years, we have won one wildcard, one division and one pennant. Over that same time frame, the Yankees have won 3 wildcards, 11 divisions, 7 pennants and 5 World Championships. Hell, they even like their new stadium while we complain and blame Citi Field for our woes.

The Yankees have taken this city. And relegated us to second class citizens. They seemingly dominate the media, dominate October. While they battle the Red Sox and Rays, we struggle with the Nats to stay out of last.

Could the Yankees manage without Reyes? Absolutely. But knowing them, wouldn’t they secretly just like to throw that in our face, just twisting the knife into our gut a little deeper?

Other than that, he had a solid, but not overwhelmingly spectacular college career at Arizona State University.  He wasn’t a big home run hitter (33 HR in three years at Arizona State), but was quite effective at using the gaps (69 doubles in 691 collegiate at-bats) and knew how to take a walk (on-base percentages of .387, .407 and .457 in his three years at ASU).  Like Strawberry, the Mets took Davis in the first round, selecting him with the 18th overall pick of the 2008 amateur draft.  The Mets were able to draft Davis as a compensatory pick when Tom Glavine left the Mets to sign with the Atlanta Braves after his “non-devastating” 2007 season.

Let’s dust off the DeLorean and take a trip back to 1983.  Danny Heep, acquired by the Mets during the off-season for future Mets killer and scuffer extraordinaire Mike Scott, was the team’s starting rightfielder.  No one was going to confuse Heep for Paul Bunyan (or Dave Kingman for that matter), as he had only cracked four major league home runs in 442 plate appearances prior to his trade to the Mets.  Despite having only started 96 games in four seasons as an Astro, the Mets felt comfortable enough to make him their Opening Day starting rightfielder.  It turns out he was only keeping the position warm for their 21-year-old phenom.

Darryl Strawberry was supposed to be Superman when he was called up to the Mets early in the 1983 season.  The team was floundering in the National League East and needed a spark.  The Straw Man became that spark, bringing excitement (but alas, not too many wins) to the franchise.  He finished the 1983 season with a .257 average, 26 HR and 74 RBI.  To this day, his home run and RBI totals remain the Mets’ all-time rookie record.  His 48 extra-base hits (he legged out 15 doubles and seven triples) were also the best showing for any Mets rookie at the time.

Fast forward 27 years to 2010.  Once again, the Mets found themselves in a state of disarray.  The team had come off a disappointing 2009 season and had started poorly again in 2010.  Mike Jacobs, the team’s Opening Day first baseman, was a two-tool player.  Unfortunately, one of those tools was “swinging” and the other tool was “missing”.  After registering more strikeouts than hits (7 Ks, 5 hits), en route to a .208 batting average, the Mets called up Ike Davis to replace Jacobs as their everyday first baseman.  Jacobs never got a chance to strike out again as a Met.

Davis shed his rookie tag quickly, hitting major league pitching as if he were a 10-year veteran, when in fact he had only just turned 23.  He raked left-handed pitching early and often and hit some of the longest home runs by a rookie since, well, Darryl Strawberry.

According to hittrackeronline.com, 15 of Davis’ 19 home runs in 2010 traveled at least 400 feet, with eight of them measured at over 430 feet.  For the season, an average Ike Davis home run landed 415 feet away, which is the same distance as Citi Field’s furthest reaches.  This year, the monster shots have continued.  In the past three games, Davis has hit three more bombs, hitting a 456-foot blast on Thursday, a 424-foot bomb on Friday and a 420-foot shot into the Pepsi Porch in Saturday’s victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Speaking of the Mets’ home ballpark, in 2010, a total of 10 players hit home runs at Citi Field that traveled at least 434 feet. Nine of them did it once (including David Wright, Nick Evans and Angel Pagan).  The only player to hit more than one 434-foot blast at Citi Field was Ike Davis, who did it a whopping five times.  Simply stated, when Ike Davis gets a hold of one, no one on the Shea Bridge or the Pepsi Porch is safe.

So Ike Davis can match Darryl Strawberry with his ability to hit long home runs.  But unlike Strawberry, Davis is not just a home run hitter.  If you recall, Ike Davis was a doubles machine at Arizona State.  That continued after he was drafted by the Mets, as Davis picked up 49 doubles in 677 minor league at-bats.  After his call-up to the big leagues, Davis continued to mash the ball into Citi Field’s spacious gaps.  In 147 games with the Mets last season, Davis picked up 33 two-base hits.  As a comparison, Darryl Strawberry NEVER hit as many as 33 doubles in a season.  In fact, only once did he finish a season with more than 27 doubles, when he hit 32 in 1987.

Ike Davis’ 53 extra-base hits in 2010 tied the franchise record for rookies set by Ty Wigginton in 2003.  His 19 HR and 71 RBI were both tied for second most all-time among Mets rookies (Ron Swoboda hit 19 HR in 1965; Ty Wigginton had 71 RBI in 2003).  The only man in franchise history who hit more home runs and drove in more runs as a rookie was Mr. Darryl Eugene Strawberry.

Since the days of Darryl Strawberry, no homegrown left-handed hitter has possessed as much power as Ike Davis (I don’t want to hear any mentions of Jeromy Burnitz).  But Ike Davis is more than just a home run hitter.  He can hit the ball to all fields, driving doubles into the gaps (his 33 doubles last season were only three behind team leader David Wright, although Wright had 64 more at-bats in which to collect those doubles) and he led the team in walks with 72.  Ike Davis is patient and will turn on a ball when it is pitched in his zone.

Darryl Strawberry was the next big thing back in 1983.  When he was called up to the Mets, there was much fanfare and hopes that he would bring the moribund franchise back from the chasm they had been lodged in since the Midnight Massacre of 1977.  Ike Davis did not come up to much fanfare.  He was never supposed to be the savior of the franchise.  He is not even the main guy in the lineup.  However, he does have the potential to be the best left-handed hitting homegrown player since the days of the Straw Man.  The next time Ike Davis hits a long home run, take notice.  You could be seeing the beginning of something really special.

It’s no surprise that no one can name the second best rightfielder in Mets history.  After all, since Darryl planted his Strawberry Patch and claimed the position for his own, the Mets have auditioned a plethora of candidates for the job and none of them has been able to make the position his own.

Here’s a trivia question for you.  Since Darryl played his last game as a Met in 1990, who has started the most games in right field for the team?  Whatever answer you say, you’re probably wrong.  The correct answer is… wait for it… Jeromy Burnitz!

Burnitz had two short stints with the Mets.  He played for the Mets briefly in 1993 (86 games) and 1994 (45 games), but never made much of a splash.  He showed some promise in 1993 by hitting 13 home runs in 263 at-bats, but his uppercut to end all uppercuts (except his own) led to many strikeouts and a poor batting average.  He paid the price for those home runs by hitting .243 during his rookie season.  He fared worse in the strike-shortened 1994 season, hitting three home runs and striking out 45 times in 143 at-bats.  (Meanwhile, his replacement in right field, Joe Orsulak, struck out 21 times in 292 at-bats in 1994.)

The Mets gave up on the man they thought would replace Strawberry as their left-handed power-hitting rightfielder after the 1994 season, trading him to the Cleveland Indians for pitchers Paul Byrd, Jerry DiPoto and Dave Mlicki (whose claim to fame is the 1997 shutout of the Yankees).  The three pitchers combined for a total of 38 wins during their time with the Mets.  Burnitz did a little better than that after leaving New York.

Once Cleveland traded Burnitz to the Brewers in 1996, his career took off. In his first full season in Milwaukee, Burnitz hit 27 HR and drove in 85 runs.  The 27 homers were two more than he had hit over his first four big league seasons combined.  He then had a stellar 1997 season for the Brewers, collecting 38 HR and 125 RBI.  The RBI total is higher than any Met has achieved in nearly half a century of the franchise’s existence (Mike Piazza had 124 RBI in 1999, a mark equaled by David Wright in 2008).

From 1997-2001, Burnitz averaged 33 HR and 102 RBI per season for Milwaukee, which made him a top target for the Mets in 2002.  The Mets re-acquired the man they gave up on nearly a decade earlier to team up with fellow new acquisitions Mo Vaughn and Roberto Alomar in the hopes of pushing the Mets back to the top of the NL East.  Let’s just say that once Jeromy returned to New York, his career crashed and burn-itzed.

Jeromy Burnitz played one and a half seasons for the Mets after his return to New York in 2002.  The one-time sure bet for a 100 RBI season was only able to drive in 99 runs in his year and a half with the team.  However, his tendency to strike out did not abandon him the way his other skills did, as he fanned a total of 190 times in 2002 and the first half of 2003.

Despite his two short unsuccessful stints in New York, Burnitz’s 290 starts in right field are the most since Darryl Strawberry left the Mets after the 1990 season to play for his hometown Dodgers.  By comparison, David Wright has started 297 games at third base over the past two seasons.  That’s seven more games than any Mets player has started in right field over the past 20 years!  And David Wright actually spent time on the disabled list in 2009 after suffering a direct hit from Matt Cain’s head-seeking missile, yet he still started more games at third base over the past two years than any player has started in right field in 20 years.

Third base used to be the musical chairs position for the Mets.  Through the end of the 2010 season, a total of 142 men had played at least one game at the hot corner.  Third base has been replaced by right field as the position where long-term careers go to die.  From 1962-2010, a total of 197 men have played at least one game in right field.  If Carlos Beltran moves over to right field in 2011 (which he should), he would become the 198th Met to be player #9 on your scorecard.

Of those 197 men to play right field, only Darryl Strawberry (1,062 games) and Rusty Staub (535 games) have started more than 500 games at the position.  Right field has been such a revolving door for players that the 290 starts made by Jeromy Burnitz in right field make him fifth on the all-time Mets leaderboard.

Finally, in the twenty seasons since Darryl Strawberry signed with the Dodgers, the Mets have used 102 players in right field, or more than half of the men who have played the position in franchise history.  Now it’s Angel Pagan’s turn to be the Mets’ rightfielder.  (Or is it Carlos Beltran?)  Given the recent history in right field, neither Pagan nor Beltran will probably keep the position for long.

Most successful teams have stability in their everyday lineup.  Since Darryl Strawberry last played for the Mets in 1990, right field has been anything but stable.  Isn’t it time the Mets found someone they can feel comfortable with as their rightfielder?  After all, twenty years is an awful long time to be conducting tryouts for the job.

Last week I wrote about how the Mets need to find ways to entice the fans to come out to the ballpark in 2011.  Last week I brought up the idea of retiring 17 in honor Keith Hernandez.  I thought it would give Mets fans something to look forward to during the long season that 2011 will be and I thought that when looking back on 2011 it would be a fun thing to remember.

The Mets have not had an old-timers days since 1994.  Back in 2009 WFAN’s Evan Roberts stirred up a bit of controversy when he relayed a quote from a Mets executive in regards to old-timers day.  Roberts said his source told him that it was too much work hosting old-timers day and that is why the Mets stopped doing it.  Dave Howard tried to do some damage control by saying:

It was particularly unpopular as a promotion. We didn’t see an increase in ticket sales or interest from sponsors or even from people who already had tickets. It died of its own unpopularity in the early ’90s.

I don’t know about you readers but one of the only times I ever watch the YES Network for baseball is on old-timers day.  I enjoy seeing the legendary players such as Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, etc…  Even Darryl Strawberry has donned the pinstripes over the years for the Yankees on old-timers day.  I watch it to see some of the legendary players and it looks like a lot of fun to be honest, seeing these older players who retired long ago having some fun playing the game.

I know a lot of Yankees fans who really look forward to old-timers day and go every year to see it.  They always tell me how much fun it is.  Now I can understand how in the 90′s they didn’t attract a lot of fans.  The early 90′s were not especially kind to the Mets and their fans.  However as the saying goes, “that was then, this is now.”

We learned in 2009 after the Citi Field opened how passionate Mets fans are about their history.  As nice and shiny Citi Field was there was not much of the Mets history on display and the fans let the Mets know how they felt about that proving that this fanbase wants to acknowledge their past.

Just thinking about an old-timers day while writing this piece has me excited.  I would love to see Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden pitch while Mike Piazza catches them in an old-timers game. I’m sure we all would like to see Darryl Strawberry hit in Citi Field.  I would love to see the Mets of yesteryear on the field, playing in a game.

I’m sure we all have our favorites whether they be Rusty Staub or John Franco or Bobby Valentine, Wally Backman, Keith Hernandez, Buddy Harrelson and many more favorite Mets on the field, playing in an old-timers day.

I know I would look forward to it as the season goes on and I’m sure if done right it will be a fun memory to have of the 2011 season.

In comments, let me know if you agree or disagree and for fun list some of the Mets you would love to see playing an old-timers day in the future.

Next year is going to be a tough year for the New York Mets.  There might not be a lot of fun to be had at Citi Field in 2011.  In October when the season is over it would be nice to look at some fun times that the 2011 season produced.  One of the few fun experiences for me at least in 2010 was the Mets Hall Of Fame Induction.  Seeing Darryl Strawberry, Dwight “Doc” Gooden, Davey Johnson and Frank Cashen is something that I’m glad I got to see at Citi Field in 2010.  It also gave me something to look forward to as the season was getting away from the Mets in 2010.

The Mets have only retired 3 numbers in their history.  37 for Casey Stengel, 14 for Gil Hodges and 41 for the Franchise Tom Seaver.  Of course the Mets like the rest of Major League Baseball have retired 42 for Jackie Robinson.  Only one of the numbers retired is from a player.  I believe Keith Hernandez deserves to be the next player to join that elite club.

Keith played before I can really remember watching baseball.  I know to some younger than I am they know him from his Seinfeld episodes as well as being part of the best broadcasting team on TV.  Keith was one of the best first baseman to ever play this game.  I personally think he should be in Cooperstown.  He helped Daryl and Doc when they came up.  There is no way the Mets would have won a World Series without Keith.  Today he informs and entertains us in the broadcast booth.  He’s a New York Met for life.

When I would see Fernando Tatis grounding into double plays wearing number 17 I wanted to pull my hair out.  Keith has earned the right to have his number retired. It would be fun to look forward to and I’m sure the ceremony would be fun to experience in 2011.  The Mets did promise that when they moved to their new park more numbers would be retired.  I think it’s time to retire Keith’s 17 once and for all.

Sure this sounds nice and it is a good PR move and maybe it will sell some more tickets for Sunday afternoon.

But it’s a mixed blessing.

This is my problem with it.

The mid eighties, when both came up to the big team were the years that – my niece and I- spent a lot of time on the third tier behind home plate.  She called it ‘heaven’ and would sit and fill out her scorecard ever so neatly.

We saw the early games of both men – in fact we saw Doc’s first game and also his first home run.  You could see that big grin from way upstairs as he ran the bases.

Strawberry had so many home runs, that it became the usual for him.

However, even early on – particularly with Gooden – there were absences and/or days he was under the weather.  And the word “Smithers” came into our conversation.  Remember – he didn’t even make it to the parade when they won the series.

Now I know that both of them have tried to get their lives in order and Darryl has recently made progress, but Doc has regressed again. In fact it was the late George Steinbrenner who tried to help both these men, but few knew about it.

Sports – all sports – have a big problem on their hands – as drug usage grew – the players union and Bud Selig ignored it.  Even now it is a complicated issue.  A player like Alex Rodriguez ( almost a Met once) used steroids for years under the Selig administration, then apparently switched to HGH even though steroids and similar drugs have been illegal in the United States since 1993.

So, yes there will be a big celebration on Sunday, and I hope that the house is full as it used to be for Doc and Darryl.

This time my eyes will be on Davey Johnson and Frank Cashen.

I think it’s ironic that these same two guys have a lot of nerve calling the team out now.  Certainly, there are issues, but for a guy who slammed his pitching hand in a door after drinking too much one night and used a sorry “hedge clipper” cover up story, and a dude who sadly battled many demons only to leave his best years in New York behind him, well, let’s just say I won’t take what they say to heart easily.

Lately, with the Mets lackluster second-half coupled with a less-than-impressive West Coast road trip, everyone is talking “leadership.”  Who is the leader of the team?  Is Jerry Manuel the right guy to lead this team?  Who is the go-to person in the clubhouse when a player is having problems at the plate? Can the pitchers talk to a fellow pitcher to ask about their game approach?

Let’s start with Jerry Manuel.  Let me state for the record that I don’t necessarily have a problem with Manuel’s type of managing.  He’s the quintessential “player’s manager.”  He puts out the lineup and let’s the guys play.  Unfortunately, his style of managing does not translate well into the team he has today.  A good manager makes adjustments, and it’s clear to me that Manuel does not have a clue how to make those adjustments.

We may never see a team like the 1986 team play again, ever.  Not just the Mets but in baseball in general.  Players today have been coddled since they’ve been in Little League.  They’ve played on teams where they get trophies simply for “showing up” as opposed to being the “best” at something.  While that has worked wonders in building up the self-esteem of some youngsters, the fact is, there is no attitude, there is no hustle because they know at the end of the day, they get paid and that’s that.

I’m certain some players care about winning.  However, they are not TAUGHT how to win.  Manuel puts out a lineup and expects everyone to go out and do their jobs.  Unfortunately, like the MBA in the old FedEx commercials, they need to be shown how.  When Keith Hernandez was traded to the Mets on June 15, 1983, he came with a chip on his shoulder, an MVP award under his belt and years of participating on winning teams in St. Louis.  He brought that attitude to the young players who were being cultivated on the Mets farm system.  In fact, he said himself when he saw Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling and Darryl Strawberry being brought up through the ranks, he knew the Mets were going to be something special.  When they added Gary Carter to solidify calling the game and his rough-and-tumble style of play helped round-out Hernandez’s field generalship, magic happened.  Hernandez’s respect amongst his peers and managerial staff made him the first captain in Mets history, and Gary Carter was named co-Captain.

Of course, Mets manager Davey Johnson had a lot to do with the so-called “swagger” of those teams.  However, he was smart to understand what and who he was working with.  He told them, famously, after not winning anything in 1984 to falling short in 1985, that they would not only win but they would DOMINATE.  Can you imagine saying that not just to the Mets but to ANY team these days?

My problem with the suggestion that, for instance, David Wright should be elevated to some figure head status in that he’d hopefully make the team his “own,” is this:  He is far too young…heck, he hasn’t even had that many years in the majors, let alone even won a championship, save the NL East pennant in 2006.  He could always walk after his contract is up.  I don’t think he would, however. I’m not saying if the Mets were to give a Captain’s “C” to someone, he could be the figure head someday, he could be good at it, just not now.  Let’s allow him to mature and BE a leader simply by doing, and not just because the management said, “This is your team, do what you want.”

He needs to be taught how to win.  None of these guys know how to do that.  Not Carlos Beltran, not Jose Reyes, not Luis Castillo.  Maybe Johan Santana.  That is evident after the team tends to win his starts these days.

This team needs to lead by doing.  I am not one to suggest a change in management will do anything tangible but in this case I highly endorse getting rid of Jerry Manuel immediately.  It’s clear that this team needs a manager who will LEAD, set a game plan, understand the roles of each player and not just hope for the best.

Hope is not a plan.

Bobby Ojeda isn’t the only 1986 Met ripping the Mets for their recent lifeless play. Yesterday, Kevin Kernan of the NY Post caught up with Darryl Strawberry who, among other things, said the Mets have no swagger. 

“I think that is what they are really missing, the attitude, the swagger about being in New York, and representing New York. Other teams don’t fear them. There’s no fear. They’ve got to get to that point where other teams fear them, whatever it takes. Teams feared us when they came to the ballpark.

“They say it’s a different time now. It’s not a different time. It’s baseball; it’s still the same game,” he said, his voice rising with passion. “If nobody fears you, they are going to beat all over you and they are going to laugh at you, and that’s what teams do to the Mets now.

“They beat all over them and they laugh at them,” he said. “Teams never came to Shea Stadium thinking they were going to beat all over us and laugh at us. We would have kicked their heinie on the field and off the field. That’s just the way we were.

“I’m sorry, I love those guys and I’ve been with them. I want them to win,” he said. “I’m not a former player who doesn’t want them to win, I care about the organization. I like the manager. I care about them winning, but nobody is going to give it to them. They need to understand that: You’ve got to go out and you’ve got to take it.”

Do you agree with Straw or disagree? Do other teams fear the Mets?

What is your opinion when former ballplayers levy harsh criticism on the current team and players?

Does what they say matter?

Opening Day happens only once a year, right? But as we pop open those adult beverages and boil the mystery meat wonders of pure hot dog goodness , I will allow each and every one of you wonderful Mets fans a chance to jump into your own personal Hot Tub Time Machine and play “What’s My Favorite Mets Lineup”.

While some of you continue to slug it out with important issues such as who pitches after Johan or when will the exit interview begin for Omar and Jerry, I for one would rather give you my favorite Mets lineup of All Time. Here we go.

Leading off and playing shortstop I give you Jose Reyes. He’s the igniter to the fire that will fuel the team. As Al Leiter once posed, “ He can go down as one of the greatest shortstops in the game”. Finally his heath is coming around and in a few weeks he should be back, anchoring the top of the lineup, amazing us with his speed and all around tremendous skills. A season with Jose batting around .285 to .300 with 15 homers 60 RBI and 50 steals should be the norm. I’ll take that any day. Period.

Batting second and playing second base I give you Edgardo Alfonzo. Some of you might say Jeff Kent and I wouldn’t beat any of you down for it, however, I’m going with Fonzie for the main reason that Kent’s biggest years had him batting behind Barry Bonds. Lets face it, Stevie Wonder would break the Mendoza line batting behind Bonds. Alfonzo, or as Gary Cohen pronounced it, Al…FUNZO, was the best number two hitter the Mets ever had. A solid .285 hitter that gave us around 15 homers and 70 RBI a year, Edgardo originally a third baseman, didn’t find his full groove until he moved to second. Smart move Al FUNZO.

Hitting third, gotta go with Mex. If Keith Hernandez played today, he’d be probably be ripped by fans for not having enough power to man first base. He was easily the best fielding first baseman ever. Nobody negated a bunt better than him or turned a double play better. A career .296 hitter with decent power, Keith would give you a season hitting around .300 with 15 homers and 85 RBI. His true worth was in his clutch performance offensively and defensively. He was the last great Met leader on the field hands down and to be politically incorrect, I loved it as a kid watching Keith sneak off to the clubhouse runway under Shea, sneaking a smoke between innings. Classic Mex.

Cleaning up I’m going with Mike Piazza. Now I loved Gary Carter don’t get me wrong. It was the trade for Carter that took the Mets to a championship level for sure. Piazza brought star power and presence to a Met team which sorely needed it in the post 1990 debacle years. In the years Mike played for the Mets he hit .296 with an average of around 27 homers and 82 RBI. He was the face of the franchise and on September 21st 2001, he cemented his name in Met history with his go ahead 2-run homer in the 8th inning propelling a team and a nation in it’s most trying time. Thank you Mike.

Batting 5th has to be the Straw that stirred the collective drinks of the city in the 1980′s, Darryl Strawberry. No player in Mets history arrived with as much expectations or excitement than Straw. He backed it up by becoming the Mets all time home run leader with 252 bombs. A swing that looked like a coiled whipping snake, that resulted in unreal power, where on April 4th 1988, Straw hit the rim of lights on the roof of old Olympic stadium in Montreal. Tres` bonne Darryl, etonnantes!

Batting 6th, David Wright. He’s the current face of the franchise. David is clearly one of the top third basemen in the game today and has the potential to be one of the greatest of all time. He averages around 23 homers and over 93 RBI a season, and he’s not even in the full swing of his prime yet. Defensively he’s a gold glover. Now it’s time to take the the reigns David. This is your team.

Batting 7th, Carlos Beltran. When Carlos is healthy he’s as complete a player as you can find. He’s a switch hitter, averaging .280 a year with 25 homers and 93 RBI with 19 steals a year. His defense is golden. You simply can’t argue that.

Batting 8th, Mookie Wilson. Mookie played for the Amazin’s in a time when they really weren’t so Amazin’. The early 1980′s had some lean years, but it did introduce Flushing Meadows to one William Hayward Wilson. Mookie was to the Mets what Jose Reyes is to them now. His enthusiasm for the game alone was infectious, but his talent on the field was simply impressive. A .276 hitter who became the all time Mets leader in steals with 281 until that crown was taken by Jose Reyes. The chant of “Mooooookie” will always ring true in the minds of all Mets fans for all time.

So there you have it. My All Time Mets lineup. In part 2 next week I’ll cover my All Time Mets Pitching rotation. Let’s wish the Mets success for the coming 2010 season. On a personal note, a year ago today I took a picture on opening day with a great man, my friend, the Fred to my Barney, my grandpa Charlie. I miss you Paba, 1921-2009.

Ok I admit I SOMETIMES watch the train wrecks that are reality TV. What can I say I get a slight chuckle in seeing other people do insanely stupid things for slight notoriety.

The whole Celebrity Apprentice premise is based on Trump’s show where a group of people perform tasks in order to eventually earn a position in the Trump organization.

The twist with the celebs is basically everything they do is for a charity of their choosing. So if they win each week’s tasks, their charity’s get a twenty thousand dollar donation. Strawberry was there supporting Autism awareness, certainly a worthwhile and noble goal.

So on last night’s episode what does the Straw that stirs the Donald’s drink do, HE QUITS! Now normally I wouldn’t have a problem with a celebrity quitting a television show.

I mean seriously who cares, but for some reason, Darryl quit and it annoyed the ever loving pine tar out of me. Whether he was tired, bored, annoyed, underpaid, whatever the reason Darryl walked away. Most irritating , he walked away from his charity.

Way to represent Darryl.  Next time write a check.

Ok, I’m done.

This is the time during Spring Training that all Major League teams start to cut down their rosters, sending some players down to their Minor League affiliates, while others are sent on their way right out of the organization.

The funny thing about this process is that there are very few surprises as to who stays and who goes. Sometimes a young player with just a little minor league experience makes such an outstanding impression that management feels that he is ready for the big leagues and they can’t envision him not being with the parent club.

Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals comes to mind this year as he has not allowed a run in three appearances so far. It was expected that the number one overall player in last years draft would start the year perhaps even as high as AAA. He did have an advantage of playing college ball under Hall of Fame great Tony Gwynn, but still there would seem to be no real reason to rush him into the fray. It’s not like the Nationals will be in the playoff hunt this year.

On Sirius/XM Radio yesterday, Rob Dibble, who I love as a color commentator and sports talk show host, said that when he was in his first couple of years of Spring Training and he knew he wasn’t going to make the Reds big club, he actually asked the team to cut him early enough so he could get more work in at the level he would be playing at. Amazing.

For the Mets as they start their cuts, the big controversy at least among the Mets faithful, revolves around whether or not Fernando Martinez and Jenrry Mejia, the young pitching sensation, should be on the big club at the opening of the season.

It has been well chronicled that Martinez, still only 21 years old, has been the Mets best prospect for the past five years and has a history of injuries. During the injury fest of 2009 F-Mart, as he is affectionately called, had what’s known as a cup of coffee with the Mets and was not very effective with a batting average just somewhat north of 100.

He was and is still slated, according to Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, to start the season at AAA Buffalo and if he does well he should see action with the Mets no later than September 1st.

The problem is that he’s tearing the cover off the ball this spring after an excellent showing in the Caribbean World Series. Right now it looks like Angel Pagan, who had a walk off home run yesterday, will begin the season in center field until the return of perennial All Star Carlos Beltran.

Newly acquired Gary Matthews Jr. is also having a torrid spring and will definitely make the team as it’s 4th outfielder  and maybe even the center fielder, again that is until Beltran’s return. If that is the case where would Martinez fit in? Personally, and what most writers and fans agree on, is that Martinez needs to play everyday and Buffalo is the obvious place for him to be.

Mejia’s situation is even more complex. From here it doesn’t look like the Mets organization has decided what their expectations are of the role that Mejia will play. Is he a starter, perhaps even a top of the rotation starter, or can he become a lights out closer?

There is a case for both sides. He can crank it up to 98 mph on the gun and is developing some pretty good secondary pitches. He has drawn favorable comparisons to Dwight Gooden who at Mejia’s age, 20, was already dominating Major League batters. That in and of itself is not too shabby.

The other comparison has been to Mariano Rivera who some are already calling the greatest closer in the history of the game. His “cutter” over the years has been practically un-hittable and his post season performances have become legendary.

Former Met and Yankee, Darryl Strawberry has said that Mejia’s “cutter” is just as good as Rivera’s and the Mets need to use him right now, this season, in the pen.

So what are the Mets to do. Jerry Manuel, not my favorite Mets manager to say the least, has said Mejia could wind up as the 8th inning specialist this year if all falls into place.

What the Mets must be concerned about is not falling into what I call the “Joba Catch”. The Yankees have perhaps marred Chamberlain’s chances for super stardom as they vacillate between having him in the bullpen and as a starter. Most pitching experts agree that the transition from starter to reliever is much easier and likely to be more successful than the other way around.

So the Mets must decide which way to go with Mejia. I just want them to make a decision either way and more importantly, stick to it. What it comes down to, as I see it, is what’s the better long term solution. You have Frankie Rodriguez as your closer for the next two years. Mejia, if on the big club, would serve as the apprentice waiting to move into the closers role in 2012 if the Mets chose not to resign K-Rod.

If he goes to the Minors he would have at least a year or maybe two to develop his arsenal of pitches and at 22 he could become the ace of the staff for the next 10 to 15 years. My opinion, which amounts to nothing more than a hill of beans, is that Mejia and Martinez need to be sent down to develop. I think that in the long run, that would give the Mets the best opportunity to compete for the playoffs for years to come.

Agree? Dis-agree? Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

Strawberry didn’t mince words while describing the Mets apparent lack of toughness and chemistry.

“Teams come over here and drill hitters and stuff like that, and you don’t do nothing, you don’t retaliate? We (86 Mets) didn’t allow that to happen. They have the capability. It’s just a matter of, ‘Are we confident enough? Do we believe in ourselves?’ Because, when you look across town, those boys over there…they play together, and that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about individual stats. It’s about team effort.’’

Kudos to Strawberry for telling it like it is and not holding back. He could have easily punted, but instead he nailed a 55 yard field goal.

Speaking of chemistry, former Mets outfielder Cliff Floyd, had plenty to say about the subject while a guest on WFAN and went so far as saying that the current Mets have none. Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog has a nice recap of the interview and transcribes the following,

“I think they’re missing chemistry.  These guys are just not coming together… I have some friends there who say it is just not a good mix… It’s not a good locker room… I mean, you need that… It should never be that way.  Having played this long, having been on winning teams, losing teams, no matter what you say about chemistry you need guys on the same page.  They need to believe in what they’re trying to do day in and day out, and if you don’t have that you’re gonna find yourself in the situation the Mets have been in, and it’s a shame because their teams have been good enough to go to the World Series.”

Here’s the thing about team chemistry, it’s real.

I hear and read all the long-winded rants whenever a player talks about chemistry. I’m fully aware of the many baseball fans that not only downplay it, but say there’s no such thing. For some, the mere mention of the word will incite a tirade of epic proportions.

Here’s the thing though… If the players themselves believe in chemistry who are all these self professed intellects to say that “chemistry” is not real?

I recently read a great piece on the subject of team chemistry by Patrick Dobel,

“Chemistry” presents a good metaphor because it suggests that players react to each other. Chemistry depends upon relations and reactions can, break or diffuse bonds among team members. Reactions can explode, go passive or create dynamic equilibriums. Reactions can disrupt and disorganize a system or bring it coherence and new levels. Relations altered by chemistry can form strong or negative bond, push people apart or bring them together into coherent entities. We’ve all experienced teams that fall apart with players recriminating and blaming each other; teams that  lose heart, go inert and players “go through the motions.” We’ve also experienced teams where players challenge each other to perform to their highest levels; where struggling or injured players  get help and support from each other; where team bonds and relations help players accept roles and perform with competence while supporting and rooting for their starting teammates even as they compete with them.

It amazes me how so many can speak out against something so emphatically, when they themselves have never even experienced what guys like Vladimir Guerrero, Chase Utley, Paul O’Neill and Darryl Strawberry have in their careers?

Why take the side of a couch potato or desk jockey over players who have reached the absolute pinnacle of baseball achievement and won a World Series?

Good chemistry builds resilience into a team. No plan survives contact with reality. The best put together teams encounter injuries, accidents, off field distractions and tragedies. They go through slumps and sometimes fall apart or have “one of those days” where nothing goes right. Emotional resilience involves the capacity for members of a team to sustain each other through the insults of time and season. It means that players do not go rogue or solo or give up under the stress of losing or injury. This resilience enables players to still believe in themselves and their talents and to bounce back from setbacks. This resilience depends heavily upon the leadership and example of emotional leaders and experienced players or coaches who have lived through it and can offer the hope that this will end.

Do yourselves a favor my friends… If you want to learn about the game and all its wonderful and intricate nuances, watch the games with eyes wide open, listen to the sounds of the game and especially what the players have to say. You can’t get that stuff out of $10 dollar paperback.

Oh and please spare me the “winning breeds chemistry” line… A bad clubhouse is still a bad clubhouse win or lose…. From 1997 to 2004, the San Francisco Giants came in first or second place eight times in eight years and went to four post seasons including a trip to the World Series. It was well documented that throughout that run it was a cantankerous clubhouse with much in-fighting among the players. (Aurilia, Bonds, Kent, Snow, Beck)

Good job by Cliff Floyd and Darryl Strawberry for stating the obvious fact that the Mets have lacked chemistry. The Mets have had the most talent laden team in the National League since 2007 and all they have to show for it is two chokes and a joke. They don’t lack quality players, just the chemistry that would enable them to cohesively and collectively achieve their maximum potential.

Luckily, the additions of Jason Bay, Henry Blanco and Frank Catalanotto, coupled with a full season of Jeff Francoeur, can help to change the dynamic of the clubhouse this year. Of course, another arm in the rotation would do wonders as well.

The Mets have had some incredibly exciting and hair raising moments.  Below is a compilation of my top 10 magic moments between a pitcher and batter in Mets history.  Post your own favorites.

• #10 – Tom Seaver vs. San Diego Padres on 4/22/1970. Nate Colbert of the San Diego Padres becomes Tom Seaver’s 10th consecutive strikeout.  Seaver fanned the last 10 batters of the game in striking out 19 in total.  Seaver pitched a complete game two hitter in the Mets 2-1 victory.
• # 9 – Darryl Strawberry vs. Ken Dayley on 10/1/1985.  Darryl Strawberry broke up a scoreless game in the 11th inning when he belted a home run,  breaking a light bulb in the clock tower far out in right center field at old Busch Stadium.  The Mets beat the Cardinals cutting their lead to two games.  The Mets would win the next night cutting the lead to one game but that was as close as they would get.
• #8 – Jesse Orosco vs. Kevin Bass on 10/15/1986.  In game six of the 1986 NLCS, in the bottom of the 16th inning and the Mets clinging to a 9-8 lead, Jesse Orosco strikes out Kevin Bass swinging on a nasty down and in slider.  The Mets clinch the series and eventually win the World Series.
• # 7 – Todd Pratt vs. Matt Mantei on 10/9/1999.  In the 10th inning of game four of the Division Series, Pratt launches one 411 feet just over the outstretched glove of Steve Finley.  The Mets walk off with a 4-3 win and a 3-1 series win.
• # 6 – Donn Clendenon vs. Baltimore Orioles. During the 1969 World Series, Donn Clendenon hit three massive home runs.  In game two, he hit one off of Dave McNally to tie the game at 1.  In game four he homered off of Mike Cuellar to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.  And in game five, he hit a 2 run home run off of McNally to begin the Mets comeback from a 3-0 deficit.  Clendenon was the World Series MVP.
• # 5 – Ron Swoboda vs. Steve Carlton on 9/15/1969.  Steve Carlton sets a record by striking out 19 Mets including Swoboda twice.  However, Swoboda also smashed a pair of 2 run homers leading the Mets to a 4-3 victory.
• # 4 – Mike Piazza vs. Steve Karsay on 9/21/2001.  In the emotional first game following “9/11″, and the Mets trailing the Braves 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th, Piazza launches a 2 run home run over the center field fence giving the Mets a 3-2 victory.
• # 3 – Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell and Ray Knight vs. Calvin Schiraldi on 10/25/1986.  In “game six” of the 1986 World Series the Mets trailed Boston 5-3 going to the bottom of the 10th inning.  With two out and nobody on, Carter, Mitchell and Knight hit consecutive singles cutting the lead to 5-4.  Mike Stanley replaced Schiraldi and we all know what happened.
• # 2 – Benny Agbayani vs. Aaron Fultz on 10/7/2000. Agbayani gives the Mets a 2-1 NLDS lead with his 13th inning walk off home run.
• # 1 – Robin Ventura vs. Kevin McGlinchy on 10/17/1999.  Ventura wins game 5 of the NLCS against the Braves with the famous walk off “grand slam” single.  Ventura cannot evade Todd Pratt’s bear hug and is not able to complete his home run trot.

Next up in a few days – The sad and sour side of the Mets pitcher/batter battles.

Then began a drought from 1977 through 1983 during which the Mets finished last or next to last in seven consecutive seasons.  They lost between 94 and 99 games each season except in the strike shortened 1981 season when they were 41-62 with a .398 winning percentage. 

In 1979 the Mets lost 99 games and their home attendance was 788,905, averaging 9,739 fans per game.  Under the ownership of Charles Payson, who took over after the revered Joan Payson passed away, the Mets were truly the laughingstocks of all of baseball. So much so that Payson became disinterested and left the operation to his daughter Lorinda de Roulet. 

Joe McDonald, an M. Donald Grant underling, held the GM post from 1975 through 1978, at which time he was promoted to Vice President. He fired Yogi Berra in 1975 and of course on June 15, 1977, he traded Tom Seaver, though Grant was the big motivating factor.

Here is a bit of trivia that I bet no Mets fans remember. After McDonald was fired in 1980, he was hired as the Assistant GM of the St. Louis Cardinals and in 1982 became their GM. That means on June 15, 1983, he was responsible for trading Keith Hernandez to the Mets.

In January 1980, Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon bought the Mets from the Payson’s.  Enter Frank Cashen, hired to be the General Manager with full autonomy.  Said Cashen, “I took over a huge mess.  Talent wise we had nothing.  Fan support, there was nothing.  In my estimation it was as ugly as you could get.  Just terrible.  We needed a complete overhaul of everything”

Cashen drafted Darryl Strawberry with the first pick in the 1980 draft.  In 1982; the Mets signed free agent George Foster, Lee Mazzilli was traded for Ron Darling, and Dwight Gooden was selected with the fifth pick in the draft.  Of course, as the youngsters developed, the team continued to flounder on the field.  They lost 97 games in 1982 after debuting some new young talent in Mookie Wilson, Hubie Brooks, and Ron Gardenhire.

Strawberry won Rookie of the Year honors in 1983.  In July, Neil Allen was traded for Keith Hernandez. The Mets lost 94 games in 1983.  However, the tide had changed. Things began clicking in 1984.  Strawberry and Hernandez were joined by Gooden, Darling, and Backman.  They won 90 games and challenged the Cubs and Cardinals in the NL Eastern Division. In 1985 HoJo, Carter, and others joined the party.

Along the road to 2010 the Mets have had many losing and disappointing seasons.  The years 1991 through 1996 was a six year period of consecutive losing seasons.  More recently, 2002 through 2004 were losing seasons with 86, 95, and 91 losses

92 losses in 2009.  Now the winter of discontent.  At this point in the off season, most Mets fans would bet there seasons tickets on a second consecutive losing season.  Hopefully, it’s not a return to the Dark Ages although we know, time and time again, that history does repeat itself.

David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana: Yes, Wright forgot how to hit home runs, and the other two guys missed a big chunk of 2009, but we still have a nice core of all-stars.  Some teams don’t.

The 1986 Season: Watching that run to a championship was one of the greatest periods in my life.  I remember going to Game 3 of the NLCS and feeling like the stadium was going to collapse after Lenny Dykstra hit that home run off Dave Smith.  I also remember the World Series Game 6 tenth inning…. easily one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, and thankfully we were on the winning end.  Imagine what the other side of that must have felt like.

More memories:  I was too young to appreciate 1969, but I do remember watching Tom Seaver pitch, and I remember going to see Dwight Gooden pitch at Shea.  In fact, I think I went to every home game he pitched in 1984 and 1985, when he would positively blow hitter away and those guys would hang K’s in left field.  We also had one of the great catchers in history in Mike Piazza.  And how about Darryl Strawberry’s sweet home run stroke?

Opening Day: Every year we start out with hope, and 2010 will be no different.  That is, until we get to June and we’re 10 games behind the Phillies, who are going to be strong for a few more years.  But there is always the wild card, right?