Every casual Mets fan can rattle off the names of great pitchers in Mets history, Seaver, Koosman, Matlack, Gooden, Darling, but the die hard Mets fan has guys that when they  here the nam,e one of those cartoon clouds form over their head with reminisces of terrific performance of the past. The mention of their name is usually followed with the refrain “What ever happened to that guy”?

Don Cardwell was one of them, a journeyman who pitched for three full and part of a fourth season for the Mets back in the late 60’s and was on the ’69 World Champion team as a spot/starter long reliever. Cardwell was better than his record and was one of those guys who when called upon either won a game for you or at worse kept the team in a game.

Ron Taylor was another ‘69er who was key in the pen and today is a physician in his naïve Toronto and works for the Blue Jays.  His problem was he was overshadowed by a young, brash fellow reliever, Frank (Tug) McGraw

George Stone came to the Mets with Felix Milan in one of the most underrated deals in Mets history (Danny Frisella and Gary Gentry were shipped to Atlanta) and went 12-3 in 1973 and his misuse by Yogi Berra in the 1973 World Series still bothers me to this day. 

Rick Reed, Skip Lockwood, Craig Swan, Bruce Berenyi, Bill Pulshiper, Izzy and Neil Allen are guys who I think about now and then, about the contribution to the Mets teams they played or how some like Reed came out of nowhere or Stone who had the year of his life in 1973 or Lockwood an very underrated reliever or poor Puls’ one of the Titanic Trio along with Izzy and Paul Wilson, the ill fated Generation K. Craig Swan the Ace of some bad pitching staff of the late 70’s. Berenyi, a June 15^th pick up in 1984 when the Mets were starting to turn things around and became pennant contenders. All these guys forever etched in my Mets fan memory of players. Now we have one more pitcher who I can add to that list, R.A. Dickey.

If the Mets go on to win a seat at the post season table, R.A. Dickey will have played a major role. Dickey is the kind of pitcher I’ve always wanted the Mets to have. He looks like a guy right out of Bull Durham. The long hair, three day stubble, the southern drawl, a real dirtbag and I say that with the utmost affection. Sometimes a guy starts to realize he has nothing to lose anymore and stops listening to others and just goes out and does things the way he wants, and it works, you just have to root like hell for him. I even like the fact that he knows Jerry Manuel wanted no part of him on the team and Dickey saying, He could care less what Manuel thinks as he doesn’t pitch for Manuel he pitches for himself and the team.

Who knows maybe in the year 2020 at Old Timers Day, R.A. Dickey will be welcomed with a huge ovation as he’s introduced or maybe he will be a guy that pops in my head when I see a homeless guy with a cap pulled down to his eyes and stubble on his face bringing cans and bottles in for nickel deposit and say “I wonder what ever happened to R.A. Dickey.”

Whatever happens, it’s a joy to watch this Mets team play. As we head toward the end of June, that Mets are a mere ½ game out of first place. Let the summer fun begin!

Do we really hope that Carlos Beltran comes back this season? This is not an anti-Beltran post, I like Beltran and I am in no means joining the Beltran contract worst in Mets history club just the contrary, he was the player the Mets needed to have at the time he signed his deal and he has produced offensively and defensibly to be the best center fielder in baseball. The reason I’m in no hurry to see him back is, I don’t see where he fits in with this Mets team.

The Mets have gone from a collection of talent to a cohesive team. Whereas the organization went out and brought in big names who made those names elsewhere (Glavine, Delgado, Martinez, Beltran to name four biggies) that Mets fans never warmed up to, now the fan base is giddy over the homegrown infield of Wright, Reyes, Tejada and Ike. Mets fans are also rooting harder for Jon Niese to make his mark and are glowing over once removed Met farmhand, Angel Pagan who has played not only productive baseball but smart baseball as well.

Even when it comes to who is the Ace of the Mets pitching staff, as much as we respect and hold Johan Santana in high regard to where he is his almost near home grown adulation, lots of Mets fans have anointed Mike Pelfrey as THE MAN for the Mets. We have watched Pelfrey go from a gawky pitcher who likes to lick his hands and sometimes space out on the mound to a stud pitcher who’s starts are now a reason to either make it to the TV or drop all plans and head to $iti Field.   

Jason Bay and Jeff Francouer have been big in this hot streak the Mets have been on this month but when you ask Mets fans about Bay they nod like “he’s ok” and Frenchy before this hot streak of his, Mets fans had him top of the non-tender list for this off season. As for Frankie Rodriguez, just check out Twitter when he comes in to close a game, it’s like someone in the car farted and the windows are all locked.    

Then we have Jenry Mejia who has been abused by the Mets to the point that Mets fan have been calling Child Services to have him removed from Jerry Manuel Torture Chamber (a/k/a The bullpen) That Mejia has not been allowed to grow in his craft in the Mets minor league system is a serious crime to all Mets fans, as we want Mejia to grow strong and add that 97 mph fastball to the rotation of Pelfrey and Niese. The handling of Mejia this season is the baseball equivalent of the 2 year old kid smoking two packs of cigarettes a day in Indonesia STOP THE ABUSE!!!!    

Back to Beltran for a moment, the Mets have a nice little run going here and if or when Beltran comes back where does he play? If he goes back to his home in centerfield then does that move Pagan to the bench? Or does the mean a platoon of Frenchy and Pagan in RF? Can Beltran cover the ground he used to now that he will wear a knee brace to play? If he can’t then does he move to right field knocking Frenchy to the bench? Loads of questions here and that’s why maybe for the good of the team, it’s better that Beltran is taking his time coming back and if you’re the Mets front office do you secretly hope he doesn’t come back?

don’t forget to check out my THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN Shop at Cafe Press

OH WHAT A NIGHT

Where were you on October 25^th 1986? I was in my living room in our brand new railroad flat in Bay Ridge watching one of the great comebacks not only in Mets history but all of baseball history.

We haven’t seen a Daniel Murphy post in a while so thank you John “Metsradamus” Coppinger for bringing up Murph and remember what will happen when you mess with The Murph.

A Mets minor league pitcher Rafael Castro died of a heart attack at the Mets Venezulan academy. It’s sad when anyone dies like that but the fact that Castro was 18 years old is stunning.

The TV remote will get a good workout tonight as Game 6 of the ALCS goes up against the New York Football Giants and the Phoenix by way of St Louis and Chicago Cardinals at Giants Stadium.

If the Angels can get ahead of the Highlanders early like they did in Game 5, then it will unleashed the panic stricken Joey G to go one pitcher per hitter and deplete his bullpen. If you’re a Highlander fan you have to be concerned that the Great Mariano has to sit down with Phil Hughes and give him a pep talk as it’s clear Hughes has that deer in the headlights look about him and that the total clusterfuck that is the Joba Chamberlain Experience has been ineffective to the point, if you’re the Angels the key here is to get to the Highlander pen.

Not to break balls or anything but the baseball fan in me wants an Angel win tonight just to have some Game 7 drama.

Santana can claim he is fit to fight all he wants but why do I have a feeling he might accompany Gary Sheffield to New York Hospital for a special 2 for1 on MRI’s?    

 

 

This Date in Mets History, in 1969, Donn Clenedenon after turning down a trade from the expansion Montreal Expos to the Houston Astros, agreed to be traded to the New York Mets. Clink went on to be the 1969 World Series MVP

This Date in Mets History in 1983, The St. Louis Cardinals sent Keith Hernandez to the New York Mets after Mgr. Whitey Herzog had had enough of Hernandez and to teach him a lesson he was sent to the woebegon Mets. Hernandez who at first was miserable to be sent to NYC became the Captain of the Mets and lead the team to World Series Championship in 1986 and has become one of the most popular Mets of all time.

 

 

On This Date in Mets History in 1977 it was the Day The Music Died as The Franchise George Thomas Seaver, still the greatest player to ever wear a Mets uniform was sent to the Cincinnati Reds run out of town by to of the biggest scumbags to ever walk the earth in M. Donald Grant and Daily News baseball writer Dick Young. Seaver was and still is considered THE FRANCHISE and should have a staute of his famous pitching delivery outside of Ebbits$iti Field. Today Seaver, is a successful wine producer and Grant and Young are still burning in hell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Bill Wags rehabing from Tommy John surgery, Ollie Perez in la la land and with sore knee, John Maine with dead arm and now questions about Johan Santana’s health do you think Rick Peterson is getting a good laugh and maybe some vindication?

 

 

 

 

I’m sure you have seen all the Few and Chosen books in this series at your local book store and now there is a Mets volume added to this great series in Few and Chosen: Defining Mets Greatness Across the Eras written by Rusty Staub with Phil Pepe , foreword by Keith Hernandez (published by Triumph Books)

Amazing as it seems but we are heading toward the 50^th Anniversary of the first game in Mets history (April 2012, those awful black uni tops better be a bad memory by then) so it is a great time for this book to come out.

Staub and Pepe go position by position to name who they feel are the five best players ever at each ion in Mets history. There are a few surprises like Bud Harrelson rated over Jose Reyes as the best Mets shortstop ever and Bobby Bonila as the second best right fielder in Mets history (Staub left himself off the list which is foolish as he contributed in more in a week than Bonila did in all the years he stole money from the Mets) and Lee Mazzilli the third best center fielder over Tommy Agee and Lenny Dykstra ? NO WAY IN HELL!  In fact Lance Johnson was better than Boardwalk Lee sections like this are what make this book a great conversation starter.

It’s not just the inside of this book that is mesmerizing the cover is a thing of beauty as well with the traditional blue cap on it.  

 

 

 

 

I’m sure you have seen all the Few and Chosen books in this series at your local book store and now there is a Mets volume added to this great series in Few and Chosen: Defining Mets Greatness Across the Eras written by Rusty Staub with Phil Pepe , foreword by Keith Hernandez (published by Triumph Books)

Amazing as it seems but we are heading toward the 50^th Anniversary of the first game in Mets history (April 2012, those awful black uni tops better be a bad memory by then) so it is a great time for this book to come out.

Staub and Pepe go position by position to name who they feel are the five best players ever at each ion in Mets history. There are a few surprises like Bud Harrelson rated over Jose Reyes as the best Mets shortstop ever and Bobby Bonila as the second best right fielder in Mets history (Staub left himself off the list which is foolish as he contributed in more in a week than Bonila did in all the years he stole money from the Mets) and Lee Mazzilli the third best center fielder over Tommy Agee and Lenny Dykstra ? NO WAY IN HELL!  In fact Lance Johnson was better than Boardwalk Lee sections like this are what make this book a great conversation starter.

It’s not just the inside of this book that is mesmerizing the cover is a thing of beauty as well with the traditional blue cap on it.  

This pitch is so awful that if I were Booey I’d claim to have a disabilty and even with that it’s still em brassing.

a hat tip to Rowdy Yates for the clip

 

I’d love to kill the Mets for not having the balls to ship OP’s sorry ass out to Buffalo but their hands are tied with OP having to give his ok for the demotion and it looked like he was ready to do so but Scott Bora$ got in his ear and OP revered course. Too bad.

 

OP can’t work on his problems out of the pen. J-Man won’t use him in a big spot so his days will be sitting idle in the pen eating licorice and sunflower seeds. At least in Buffalo he stays in the rotation and works with pitching coach Rickey Bones to get his mechanics straighten out.  Again, what will it take for OP to do the right thing, blowing a relief assignment and getting humiliated by the $iti Field crowd? It shouldn’t come to that.

The Mets Police has done it again and exposed the Skill Sets as clueless. First he reports that he paid $25 bucks for ar $15.00 seat at the $iti Field box office (this is a Marx Brothers Night of the Races scenario as Chico sells his tuti fruty ice-a cream at the track ) and then shows the gall of the Mets to charge Ron Hunt the first All Star in Mets history $869 for two seats from Shea that he asked for.

The Clueless Skill Sets strike again.

I have had the pleasure of meeting both Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry and both are delightful guys. Even with all the troubles they have had in their personnel lives, they are still embraced by Mets fans and they have both found renewed love for the franchise and it’s fans. A Doc Gooden start at Shea was a happening, a festival a celebration of Mets baseball that has not been matched since. The sight of Darryl Strawberry whipping that bat and hitting tape measure home runs reminds us of when the Mets were the toast of the town and I am so happy that both guys have come home again and have nuzzled in the Mets family bosoms but with all that I’m not ready to retire their numbers.

 

I agree 100 % that management needs to embrace its past more and the one knock I’ve heard about $iti Field is the lack of a presence of Mets history. I’m still waiting to here what the plans are the 40^th Anniversary of one of the most famous teams in baseball history winning the World Series (and why no patch on the uni top sleeve for this anniversary?) . Not just that, in this the first season of $iti why couldn’t management bring back the old fan favorites like Banner Day or an Old Timers Day (I still like my idea of brining back every player who ever played for the Mets for the opening day ceremony to start a new era in Mets history and passing of the torch if you will)

 

Maybe someday the Skill Sets will re-connect with its fan base a fan base that is true Orange and Blue and gives way more to the organization than it ever gets in return.