1986 was a great year. Sure, there was Doc and Darryl, Keith and Kid, Mookie and Mitchell, slow rollers and swagger. But for me, personally, it was also one of the best years of my life. I turned 21 that November. I was now ‘legal.’ I started my senior year in college, my entire life and all my dreams lay ahead of me. I got to meet and party with the members of Van Halen at [...]

With his third inning single last night, David Wright became the Mets’ all-time hits leader.  He did so in more than 500 fewer games, nearly 600 fewer plate appearances, and more than 700 fewer ABs than the team’s previous leader, Ed Kranepool.  Ultimately, this most recent record only scratches the surface of David Wright’s accomplishments as a New York Met. In the eight and a half years since his MLB debut, Wright has compiled 321 [...]

Sometimes it can be incredibly insidious; a stalking relentless beast that methodically operates on a timetable of its own choosing. It has no regard to your wishes, desires or your plans. You’re a number to it at best. You go about your life indifferent to your own mortality – at least if you’re under 30 you do. Ultimately, you have no real control over it. Sure you can try to do the obvious. Eat well. [...]

Introduction by Stephen Hanks When I heard Gary Carter had finally succumbed to brain cancer at the too-young age of 57, I had two immediate memories. They weren’t of being at Shea on Opening Day 1985, when Carter hit his walk-off, 10th inning home run in his first game as a Met, or of Carter starting the two-out rally that won Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. I remembered first seeing him on TV [...]

Earlier this season we all heard the gut-wrenching news that our beloved Gary Carter was diagnosed with a brain tumor. As the tears dried and the reality began to settle in, a discussion ensued. The Mets need to retire #8 for Gary. Others countered that if #8 is retired, then #17 for Keith must be retired as well. The debate raged on about who had more of an impact on the Mets: Keith or Gary? [...]

Originally posted on April 9, 2010, here is a wonderful post by Ed that will evoke some great memories of Gary while we keep him in our prayers. In 1984, the Mets surprised the baseball world by winning 90 games and finishing in second place in the National League East.  After seven consecutive losing seasons, the Mets were a competitive team again.  The young pitching staff, led by a teenaged Dwight Gooden and featuring Ron [...]

Along with SNY analyst Bobby Ojeda. fellow former 1986-’er Darryl Strawberry is calling out the team for not only leadership issues (or lack thereof) but for not putting “fear” into their opponents.  “They laugh at these Mets,” says Strawberry.  While I agree with him to a certain extent, he has to understand, as well as many of us who came of age in the hey-day ’80s Mets teams (myself included), that the dynamic of baseball [...]