Yes, I Want the Mets to Retire _____'s Number ...

[batmagadanleadoff]

Oh, that's just priceless. Now the Mets should retire numbers for players because they smiled a lot. You also said Trump was a nice guy because, what, you had a nice conversation with him about the weather?

[Frayed Knot]

Kooz -- his qualifications are as good as anyone not already honored. But while them getting around to this 40 years and 20-some issuances of #36 later doesn't PROVE that it's being done mostly

for pr purposes and that this represents merely the first of a slew of questionable choices ... it sure smells like it to me



Keith -- based on my loose standards of being at least worthy of HoF consideration and a majority of your career as a NYM, Keith maybe hits the first and misses out on the second (43% of PA)

I'm also wary of considering the announcing stint as a reason to push him over the top.



Carter -- 19 years in MLB, five as a Met, two of them any good. No. Reggie as a Yanqui was a similar choice and he was a horrible choice that the club should be, but isn't remotely, embarrassed about.



Beltran -- Saying he played more games as a NYM than anywhere else, while technically true, still means less than 1/3 of his ML time (based on PA) came in blue and orange (and black).

Signed a BIG seven year FA deal: 1st was essentially the worst of his career, three of the seven were terrific, but two were significantly injury-shortened (~600 PA combined) and the final one

shortened by the mid-season trade. Not close to enough IMO even before you throw in the idea that he was only partially popular (however unfair much of the 'anti' feeling was).

And, no, what 'Hat' he wears if and when he goes into Cooperstown should have NOTHING to do with a Yea or Nay vote.



Alfonzo -- He was a real good player out of the box and was a GREAT player for two seasons before it all went away at age 26. He was done as a Met at 28 and as a ML'er at 32. I need more than that.



Reyes -- Had he not left via FA-gency and then had ANY good seasons in his 30s then we could have had a discussion. But he did and then he didn't.



Straw -- Pretty similar story arc to Reyes but with more off-field (AND on-field) issues and he continues to lob the occasional grenade the club's way to this day.



Dwight - I'd put him in before Straw and I still vote No here. Plus he'd be like even money at best when it comes to the odds of even showing up for the honor.



Franco -- a better than average specialist with longevity. That and NYC roots aren't nearly enough.



Mays -- He's a baseball icon, a NYC icon, but not a NYM icon regardless of what the old lady owner thought.



Wright -- I'm going to change my 'None' vote to this. I'm generally not a numbers guy (couldn't tell you 3/4 of the uni numbers of the CURRENT players) but even I can't imagine them issuing #5 in the

future and retirement soon beats the limbo situations of these quasi-retired numbers (24, 8).



deGrom -- We'll talk in five years. That'll give me both more time to evaluate his career and to look up his number.

[Centerfield]

Frayed Knot wrote: I'm generally not a numbers guy (couldn't tell you 3/4 of the uni numbers of the CURRENT players) but even I can't imagine them issuing #5 in the future and retirement soon beats the limbo situations of these quasi-retired numbers (24, 8). ...That'll give me both more time to evaluate his career and to look up his number.

This is funny.



If only there was a website run by a close relative who is a numbers guy where you could look up that number...

[dgwphotography]

Beltran and Wright

[Centerfield]

I don't have a problem with Carter, or Hernandez. I think there are players or managers who transcend their stats. Casey Stengel isn't on the wall for his Mets managerial record. I don't always agree with Tom Verducci, but I saw this quote: "I cannot conjure a single image of Gary Carter with anything but a smile on his face. I have no recollection of a gloomy Carter, not even as his knees began to announce a slow surrender ... Carter played every day with the joy as if it were the opening day of Little League. Gary actually took a lot of grief from his teammates for being a straight arrow. It wasn't the cool thing to do but on the same token, I think he actually served as a role model for a lot of these guys as they aged. He was the ballast of that team. They did have a lot of fun, there's no question about that, but they were also one of the fiercest, most competitive teams I've ever seen and obviously their comebacks from the '86 postseason defines that team. Carter was a huge part of that." I don't think he was a phony. Seemed to put his money where his mouth was. His foundation supports schools where students live in poverty. My Dad worked with him on several charity events and was impressed by their interactions. He's buried in the same small cemetery with my nephew and grandparents. I always walk over to pay my respects to him when I am there for them.

For what it's worth, I don't think Gary Carter was phony either. I think he was openly self-centered. Campaigned to be Mets manager while Randolph held the job. Spoke openly about how he felt he was HOF worthy. Threw himself a HOF party in anticipation of getting inducted first ballot (he wasn't). I didn't know about the MVP griping but i'm not at all surprised.



But none of this was done maliciously. I think he was just shockingly unaware of how he came across. I don't think he took grief from his teammates just for being a straight arrow. I think it's incredibly grating to be around someone that self-centered who has no idea that being self-centered is an annoying trait.

[Frayed Knot]

Frayed Knot wrote: I'm generally not a numbers guy (couldn't tell you 3/4 of the uni numbers of the CURRENT players) but even I can't imagine them issuing #5 in the future and retirement soon beats the limbo situations of these quasi-retired numbers (24, 8). ...That'll give me both more time to evaluate his career and to look up his number. This is funny. If only there was a website run by a close relative who is a numbers guy where you could look up that number...

Well it's not like I don't know where to find numbers, it's just that they've never been all that important to me and so I rarely retain them. I mean, I've

seen Jacob deGrom pitch a thousand times but, sitting here, I realize I have no clue what number he wears. In the helmet sports (NFL, NHL) it's more

necessary, but I never needed to know uni numbers in order to distinguish Backman from Strawberry.

Give me that day's starting lineup and I'll probably miss six of the nine ... and that's on a good day.

[Centerfield]

I know. I'm just saying. It's funny to have two brothers on such opposite extremes.



But then again, my brother and I are like that too. He's funny looking and I'm dashing.

[Vic Sage]

FK has talked me out of Beltran. So its just Wright (and Kooz) for now, with an eye towards DeGrom (at some point, maybe).

[Frayed Knot]

=Centerfield post_id=22911 time=1569444736 user_id=65]
I know. I'm just saying. It's funny to have two brothers on such opposite extremes.



But then again, my brother and I are like that too. He's funny looking and I'm dashing.

[Willets Point]

I voted.

[metsmarathon]

My official votes are Wright Keith Carter.



I would totally support Beltran too.

[Edgy MD]

I could go either way but it's worth pointing out that Kiara is clearly his coolest child and she got the Mets uniform.



https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--wwaqjzr1--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/tiaof4gc4hkrt4bev91p.jpg>



God bless that little goldfish.

[Centerfield]

Back to Beltran. He was here for six and a half years. He lost about a year with his knee injury but was productive for the remaining five and a half. For about 4 of those 6.5 years, he put up numbers as good as any Met ever. Even 2005 (his "bad" year), he had a .744 OPS and 2.9 WAR. And oh yeah, he played the last two months with a broken face.



Five time All-Star, MVP votes in 4 seasons, three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers. He is 3rd all time in WAR among Mets position players (trails Wright and Strawberry). Fourth all time in OPS (Olerud, Wright, Piazza). He's in the top 10 in nearly every Mets offensive category. Will go into the Hall of Fame with a Mets logo on his cap.



No brainer.

[Edgy MD]

So, is the dog wearing Carlos' Cardinal uniform and the cat the uniform from Carlos' Puerto Rican Winter League team?

[stevejrogers]

Edgy MD wrote: So, is the dog wearing Carlos' Cardinal uniform and the cat the uniform from Carlos' Puerto Rican Winter League team?

Texas Rangers for 52 games in the latter half of 2016.



August 1, 2016: Traded by the New York Yankees to the Texas Rangers for Nick Green (minors), Erik Swanson and Dillon Tate.

[Edgy MD]

So, great. I'm mistaking the flag of Texas for the Puerto Rican flag.

[G-Fafif]

Edgy MD wrote: So, great. I'm mistaking the flag of Texas for the Puerto Rican flag.

A friend told me that in a fit of post-9/11 U-S-A! patriotism, her friend's husband ran right out and bought a Puerto Rican flag.

[Edgy MD]

I'm just going blind, dammit.

[Valadius]

Well if Koosman's getting it anyway, what the hell, I'll put him down.



In order of when I think they should hold a ceremony for the remainder of my choices, for me it's Hernandez, Carter, Wright, joint McGraw/Franco, and Beltran.