Earlier today, Joe D posted a blog on the 1969 tribute at Citi Field. In it, he included a “where are they now” segment to catch readers up on what their heroes from 40 years ago are doing. Perhaps I should do the same with the 2009 Mets. After all, some of this year’s players have been gone for so long, we may not recognize them when they come back.
Below you will find the Opening Day roster for the 2009 Mets. Some of these players have been traded, some are on the disabled list, some are stuck in traffic, yada, yada, yada.
Starting Pitchers: Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez, John Maine
Relief Pitchers: Pedro Feliciano, Sean Green, Darren O’Day, Bobby Parnell, J.J. Putz, Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Stokes
Catchers: Brian Schneider, Ramon Castro
Infielders: Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo, Jose Reyes, David Wright, Alex Cora
Outfielders: Marlon Anderson, Carlos Beltran, Ryan Church, Daniel Murphy, Jeremy Reed, Gary Sheffield, Fernando Tatis
Let’s catch up on where these players are now, in case you’ve forgotten about them. After all, those were the players referred to by Citi Field public address announcer Alex Anthony on Opening Night when he let out his traditional “Ladies and Gentlemen. Here they are! Your 2009 New York Mets!”
Johan Santana: Out for the season with an elbow injury, perhaps caused by lifting too many big chipotle cheesesteak sandwiches at Subway restaurants. His injury is like “you know who big”.
Mike Pelfrey: Has remained injury-free all season, but it’s not like he hasn’t tried. He tumbled to the ground on Opening Night when his cleats got caught in the dirt, but was uninjured.
Oliver Perez: Spent over two months on the disabled list from May to July. There is now some concern that he may have suffered a neck injury from twisting it to look at the long home runs he gave up to Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz on Sunday.
John Maine: Has been on the disabled list with what the Guinness Book of World Records is calling the world’s most tired shoulder. Guinness is also researching the length of his rehab assignment to determine if Maine will be adding a second world record to his résumé.
Darren O’Day: Pitched in four games for the Mets in April before being designated for assignment. Was picked up by the Texas Rangers and has pitched beautifully in Arlington, keeping them in the Wild Card chase that the Mets fell out of weeks ago.
J.J. Putz: Has been on the disabled list for nearly three months and was scheduled to make rehab appearances in Brooklyn but was shut down. His right forearm is still hurting and there is now a slight tear that has been discovered. He will be shut down for the rest of the season and will now stay in Brooklyn to practice for the next hot dog eating contest.
The law firm of Feliciano, Green, Parnell, Rodriguez and Stokes has been able to remain healthy, but they have occasionally been known to lose a few cases. After performing their duties on the mound, they are considering taking on some medical malpractice suits that their injured teammates have presented to them. The suits are based on the Mets’ inability to disable them when they needed to be shut down, exacerbating their injuries and keeping them out for longer periods of time, effectively wiping out their 2009 seasons. There are numerous plaintiffs in this case, some of which are presented below.
Brian Schneider: Spent six weeks on the disabled list from mid-April to late May with a muscle strain in his back. Apparently, he also has a muscle strain in his bat, as his batting average has dipped below the Mendoza line.
Ramon Castro: Lost his backup job to Omir Santos and took his Imperial Death March theme music to the South Side of Chicago. Soon after, he caught Mark Buehrle’s perfect game. It was the first time he was the catcher for Buehrle.
The entire Mets infield (Delgado, Castillo, Reyes, Wright, Cora): Except for Castillo, the other four are currently on the disabled list getting their cases together for their attorneys. Somehow, Luis Castillo is the only infielder not to make an appearance on the disabled list this year. However, he did miss four games when he forgot to use two hands…on the Citi Field dugout handrail.
Marlon Anderson: Stuck in traffic somewhere.
Carlos Beltran: Has been on the disabled list since June. Wants to return but has not yet run the bases. Has spent his time off practicing his new guarantee for the 2010 season to be revealed during next year’s spring training.
Ryan Church: Took his two home runs to Atlanta in a trade for Jeff Francoeur. No word if the Devil joined Church when he went down to Georgia. Also apparently donated his concussion to the David Wright Foundation.
Gary Sheffield: Did the equivalent of turning water into wine by turning a right leg cramp into a 15-day DL stint. Has played relatively well despite his tender legs.
Daniel Murphy, Jeremy Reed and Fernando Tatis: These three 2009 Mets have not been injured this year. That’s because they hold the natural antidote to the injury bug that has permeated throughout the Mets clubhouse. Unfortunately, since the Mets’ medical team is being taken to court by the residents of the DL Hotel, there is no one left to take their blood samples so that they can cure everyone’s maladies. Ah, sweet irony!
Manager Jerry Manuel has not been injured, but he was recently seen in this disturbing image, making a gesture resembling a gun pointed at his head. No word on whether GM Omar Minaya was anywhere in the room when this picture was taken.
There you have it, my friends. You have now been reacquainted with the team that took the field and was in the dugout on that early April day when hopes were high and injuries were low. Regarding those injuries, there is something positive that could come out of it. The majority of the team will now be eligible for the 2010 Comeback Player of The Year Award. Now if only somebody could just locate Marlon Anderson. I knew the Mets should have included a GPS system for his car in his contract!
