No I’m not talking about retiring number 17 for Fernando Tatis and the few weeks he produced for the Mets. Before Tatis there was another player for the Mets who wore 17. From June 15, 1983 to October 1, 1989 he wore 17 proudly for the New York Mets. This player won 5 Gold Gloves while he played 1st base. This player was a team captain. This player was a big reason why the Mets won it all in 1986. This player was inducted into the Mets Hall Of Fame in 1997. Who is this player? He’s Keith Hernandez.
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.
