Infamy: The state of being well known for some bad quality or deed.
I have seen a lot of Mets baseball in my 41 years on this planet. I have seen the Mets win one World Series while losing in their other two appearances to the A’s and Yankees. I’ve also seen them appear in a handful of playoff appearances where they just fell a little short… Yeah I’m, looking at you ’88 and ’99 and ’06!!!
I have seen players come and go. Some were stars, others were nondescript journeymen, and many were solid everyday players that may not have that good, but us fans we clutched on to them because they were the best we had.
But there is also another category of players that have had donned the orange and blue. These are the players that we loved to hate. The players that had various scrapes with either the front office, the manager, the game itself, or even off the field scuffles with the law, child services etc. So without further ado here is a short list of some of the most infamous Mets.
1. Jordany Valdespin : Valdespin may have only spent about a year and a half with the Mets but his antics are legendary. While in the minors he was not very well liked by his teammates – but I guess when you steal their equipment you won’t be making many friends. He is currently serving a 50 game suspension for being named in the Biogenesis scandal. He also cursed out his manager Terry Collins in front of GM Sandy Alderson when told he was being demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas earlier this season. Soon after, he ignited a bench clearing brawl after his demotion because he showboated after a homer (again) – something he actually excels at since he doesn’t field well, run well or hit for average.
2. Ambiorix Burgos: Amby was obtained by then GM, Omar Minaya, to be the Mets future closer. He could top 100 mph on the radar gun. In a fit of rage, Borgos used his SUV as a weapon when he struck and killed his ex-girlfriend and as well as another woman in his native Dominican Republic. He was also picked up by NYPD officers for beating his then girlfriend .
3. Vince Coleman: “Vincent Van D’OH” will not only be remembered for his speed on the field with the Cardinals and to a lesser extent the Mets, but also for throwing lit fire crackers into a crowd after a game in Los Angeles, severely injuring a 2-year old girl. He also accidentally injured Dwight Gooden when he was swinging a golf club in the clubhouse.
4. Francisco Rodriguez: Who could forget back in the summer of 2010 when after blowing a save Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez was involved in a shouting match with his “father in law” which spiraled into K-Rod using the man as his very own punching bag. To be honest if somebody made disparaging remarks about my mother I would probably do the same. Rodriguez was arrested and put on the restricted list for 2 days. He then was placed on the disqualified list for the remainder of the season after it was revealed that he tore a ligament in his thumb during his punching fit which required surgery.
5. Lance Broadway: Broadway, a hard throwing prospect that the Mets obtained from the White Sox for catcher, Ramon Castro. Lance didn’t light it up in his brief time with the Mets – even though he had the right last name for the team. After the Mets released him he signed with Toronto , where he brutally beat up a man at a night club.
6. Carl Everett: Carl’s temper was well known. He once head-butted umpire Ron Kulpa when he ruled that Carl was using an illegal stance in the batter’s box. He is best known for having his children taken away by Child Protective Services after a Mets employee saw welts and bruises on one of his children. He has been arrested since then for weapons possession, as well as assault. He is outspoken against gay marriage, feels that the Apollo 11 moon landing was a hoax, and is infamous for saying that
“God created the sun, the stars, the heavens and the Earth, and then he made Adam and Eve. The Bible never says anything about dinosaurs. You can’t say there were dinosaurs when you never saw them. Somebody actually saw Adam and Eve. No one ever saw a Tyrannosaurus Rex.!”
He also believes that dinosaur bones are man made fakes.
So here is my list for some of the most infamous players ever to wear a Mets uniform. who would you add to this list ? Let me know in the comment section below.
And with that said….. HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!!!
Mets alumni celebrating a birthday today includes:
One of the most popular Mets of all time, second baseman from ’80-’88, Wally Backman is 54 (1959). Backman has been managing in the Mets minor league system for the past several years. He is well liked by his players, and is still a lightening rod for controversy which is why I do not believe we will see him as the Mets manager in the near future.
One of the worst free agent signings the Mets ever made, outfielder Vince Coleman is 52 (1961).
Current Mets bench coach ( and possible Collins replacement) , Bob Geren is 52 (1961).
Middle reliever from the ’02 season, Mark Guthrie is 48 (1965).
Reserve outfielder from the ’95 season, Jeff Barry is 44 (1969).
Current starting pitcher for the Mets AAA Las Vegas affiliate, Chris Schwinden is 27 (1986).
Mo Vaughn is infamous for eating the entire team post game spread before his teammates could finish changing after the game !!!
