RIP Rick Down, 1950-2019

[G-Fafif]

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Rick Down, Mets hitting coach from 2005 until the 2007 All-Star break, has died at age 68 following a lengthy illness. Down was in the dugout alongside Willie Randolph as the Mets batted their way to an NL East title...and was let go when the lumber suddenly grew heavier the next year.

[Edgy MD]

In the future, I'll conflate Rick with Pat Roessler. Both were longtime members of the Yankees development staff, rescued from that relative obscurity by new Mets managers who believed they were under-utilized, and belonged instead in a big league dugout. But neither lasted, even though the Mets first test-drove Roessler as an assistant batting coach.



Both also made the show as coaches despite never making it as players.



RIP Rick Down.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm already conflating him with Rick Waits.

[G-Fafif]

Two specific recollections of Rick Down, Mets Hitting Coach, neither of them having him to do with coaching Mets hitters:



1) In the 2006 postseason and during the 2007 season, the Mets beamed on DiamondVision a "Sweet Caroline" video to general Shea approval (the backlash to copying the Red Sox came later, when the song was injected into Citi Field). In it, when Neil Diamond sang the part about reaching out, there was a clip of Down reacting effusively to something from the dugout, both of his index fingers pointed skyward. After he was dismissed, the video went on, but Rick was edited out.



2) Jon Stewart's first pitch before Game Two of the 2006 NLCS was not expert, a fact the Daily Show host called much attention to on his program. He showed footage of himself returning to the Mets dugout in shame for his lousy effort, many in uniform razzing him good-naturedly. The microphone picked up Down barking at him something along the lines of "that's for George W. Bush!" Maybe it wasn't that good-natured.