Honoring The Past…Do The Mets Do It Enough

I know I have brought this up in the Facebook group before, but I would like to address it here. There are times when I think the Mets definitely short change the players that represent their history. Now the Mets have had some great teams in their day, from 1969, to 1973, to 1986, to 1988, to 2000, to 2006, but at times I do not believe that the upper management rewards some of the great individual players for their accomplishments. Only one New York Met position player has had their number retired by the team (#41 Tom Seaver). This is unacceptable and an insult to some of the great Mets that have played for the Shea faithful. So here, I will start up the debate of what Mets deserve to have their numbers retired.

#7 – Ed Kranepool: Kranepool was the original Mr. Met, along with Seaver. Kranepool was a lifelong Met, from the team’s inception in 1962, to his retirement in 1979. Kranepool was there for the 120 losses in 1962, the Miracle Mets of 1969, the Amazin’ Mets of 1973, and for the Midnight Massacre of 1977. He was the steady face that Mets fans could rely on to see at first base at the start of every season for 18 seasons. Kranepool is far and away the most realistic definition of a lifelong Met, and he deserves to be remembered immortally by all Mets fans.

#8 – Gary Carter: Carter was one of the great leaders of the Mets in the 1980’s. He was one of the catalysts of the great 1986 team, and for all intensive purposes is the one of only two Mets inducted into the Hall Of Fame as a Met (though on his plaque he wears an Expos cap, we all know he should have went in as a Met). Carter, along with Carlton Fisk, and Lance Parrish was the premier catcher of his day, and is one of the premier offensive catchers of all time. His arrival, along with that of Keith Hernandez signaled an end to the days of misery in Queens. His two out, two strike single in Game Six of the 1986 World Series started the furious rally that won the game and eventually the series for the Mets. Carter will always be a favorite of Mets fans, and his #8 deserves to be eternally etched in hallows of New York Mets history.

#16 – Doc Gooden: Well there is no doubt that Gooden was the ace of those great Mets staffs in the 1980’s. He was the most dominant pitcher in the National League from 1984-86, if not all of baseball. Of course what kills Gooden’s chances of having his number retired was his numerous off the field drug problems. The sad thing about Gooden is that his drug problems also most likely cost him a chance at being enshrined in Cooperstown. If Gooden had stayed out of trouble, his #16 most likely would be hanging up in left field.

#17 – Keith Hernandez: Hernandez along with Carter is the biggest sham. Hernandez is THE greatest defensive first basemen in the history of the game. He won six Gold Glove Awards as a member of the Mets (along with five more as a St. Louis Cardinal), along with one Silver Slugger Award (he won one another one of these in St. Louis also). Hernandez was also the captain of the great Mets teams in the 1980’s, and along with Carter got the team turned around in the right direction. Hernandez is also a beloved commentator for the Mets today. While he had his off the field issues as well, they were nowhere near as serious as Gooden’s or Darryl Strawberry’s. Hernandez deserves the honor of his number being retired just as much as Carter does.

#18 – Darryl Strawberry: Strawberry was a monster in the 1980’s. After being recruited out of South Central Los Angeles, Strawberry hit the scene in 1983, winning the National League Rookie Of The Year Award. Strawberry had power that no Mets player had been able to duplicate in previous years. Straw was the first true power hitter that the Mets ever had on their team. To this day he still holds team records in home runs, and runs batted in. Like Gooden though, Straw was a product of his times, and he too fell into drug problems, that eventually ruined what would have been a Hall Of Fame career. Unlike Gooden though, Strawberry has done a much better job at fighting off his demons later in his career, and he has started to work with the Mets once again during Spring Training. His previous reputation though will forever tarnish any chances of his jersey being retired.

#31 – Mike Piazza: Piazza is still playing, so if his number retirement does come, it is a ways off. But, how could you deny what Piazza meant to this team in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Piazza’s arrival on the scene in 1998 effectively signaled the end of the dark years in the 1990’s. While in a Mets uniform, Piazza basically solidified his acclaim as the best offensive catcher to ever play the game. And of course, who could forget his memorable game winning home run against the Braves in the 2001 season right after the September 11 attacks. That moment is still, in this guy’s opinion, one of the greatest moments in the history of sports. After his release after the 2005 season, Piazza signed on to catch for the San Diego Padres. Upon his first return to Shea Stadium he got numerous standing ovations, solidifying the fact that he had been the team’s most popular player since Seaver. Piazza’s number should be retired immediately after his retirement, and anything less would be a damn shame.

#36 – Jerry Koosman: Koosman is the forgotten soldier of the Mets late 1960’s early 1970’s teams. Koosman still remains one of four Mets pitchers to win 20 games in a season (though he did lose 20 games the next season). The simple fact that hurts Koosman though is that his numbers just aren’t good enough, and the fact that he wasn’t a lifelong Met (unlike Kranepool) really hurts him.

#45 – Tug McGraw: McGraw was the inspirational leader of the 1969 and especially the 1973 Mets. His famous catchphrase “Ya Gotta Believe” still lives in Mets lure today. He was the first premier closer for the Mets, and one of the first “closers” to ever play the game. The fact that hurts McGraw though is that Phillies fans also fondly remember him, and it is well known that McGraw enjoyed his tenure in Philadelphia more than he enjoyed his tenure in New York. This fact is what alone keeps him off the wall for me.

#45 – John Franco: And finally, the man himself, one John Franco. Like Kranepool, Franco was a New York City boy that embraced the fact that he got to play at home. Franco, upon is retirement was and still is the Mets all time leader in saves, and upon his retirement he was second on the all time saves list (he has since dropped to fourth on the list). Franco also wore #31 before the arrival of Mike Piazza, but graciously gave his number to Piazza. It would be great to see the two of these guys (guys who embodied the heart and soul of what a New York Met is) get inducted in the same ceremony in the near future. Of course the fact that Pedro Martinez is wearing #45 right now might be delaying the retirement process.

Well there you have it, a brief history on the Mets, in their swagger days. These are players that I think the present day Mets could look up to for some inspiration. The 2007 Mets seem to be so uninspired at times, and seeing the swagger and never say die attitude of these players (especially the guys from the 1980’s) could really help them get on the right track. Swagger can be used as intimidation, it can used to boost your confidence in yourself as a player, and it can be used to build much needed character. By honoring some of these old Mets, it could give today’s Mets a clue about what it takes to win, and to win aggressively, with no holds barred. That’s a trait I think these Mets miss at times, and it’s a trait that these guys all had.

And remember Mets fans: Don’t Stop Believin’

JD