It's Morabito Time

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

bullshit i tellsya

[Lefty Specialist]

Wow!  That was quick! 2-0!

 

Rackytack alert....

[Frayed Knot]

If tonight's game gets rained out does Morabito go into the Mets 'books' as having "worn" #8?

If only there were a website worthy enough to decide such things.

[Frayed Knot]

Puma adds further detail: 

Quote

Following a fan backlash on social media, the club announced Morabito's number will change before Wednesday's game

And, yes, it seems Howie was a big part of this.

Quote

It appears that most fans are opposed to the Mets releasing #8 after having not issued it for 25 years. There's been a debate over whether Carter's number should be retired but to release it this 40th anniversary of the 1986 season seems wrong.

As if you can't always find a reason why it isn't the right time.

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

I’m in the minority, I realize. But I agree with keeping 8 on the shelf. 

[Gwreck]

Howie presuming to speak for “most” Mets fans by reading Twitter…is embarrassing for everyone involved.

[Frayed Knot]

Yes. Hiding behind "Twitter says" as if the ability to discern a majority opinion is possible even when one isn't merely searching for confirmation bias.

[Edgy MD]

17 hours ago, Frayed Knot said:

And, yes, it seems Howie was a big part of this.

And I thought I was mostly just being a jerk.

[Gwreck]

Not at all.  The jerk here is Howie Rose, who unfortunately has developed a wee too bit of main character syndrome in recent years, thinking he presumes to speak for all Mets fans, whole also revealing himself as a not particularly savvy user of social media.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

The other problem is that Howie has become something like Carter. Held in too high esteem to be offended or argued with

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Anyway saw where Morabito wears 55 tonight.

Also he looked overmatched at the plate last night. Small sample and all

[stevejrogers]

15 hours ago, Johnny Lunchbucket said:

Anyway saw where Morabito wears 55 tonight.

Also he looked overmatched at the plate last night. Small sample and all

Goes from a nice single digit, to a Spring Training/Coaching Staff/September Call Up/MFY one!

[Edgy MD]

Frank Howard fans on Twitter are going to be pissed.

[stevejrogers]

On 5/19/2026 at 9:21 PM, Frayed Knot said:

Yes. Hiding behind "Twitter says" as if the ability to discern a majority opinion is possible even when one isn't merely searching for confirmation bias.

Reddit, TikTok, Bluesky and Facebook are also up there.

Though Reddit being a “go to” when it comes to first page hits on Google searches these days probably gives it the edge for social media platform that makes internet strangers’ posts into “expert opinions” for lazy confirmation bias searchers.

Though TwiX is still a go to for lazy article writers looking for “average citizen” quotes on any topic, and any point the author wants to make.  

Ie Howie and “see, the fans want #8 at least kept in unofficial retirement out of respect for Gary Carter!”

BTW, did any actually reach out to Mays, or an associate when the Torve “fiasco” happened?  All I know is the pre-information age shit storm via sports radio and “journalists” Heh, an even smaller sample to cherry pick confirmation bias agreeing “others like me are saying” “data” from! ;)

[Benjamin Grimm]

Retired numbers have become so devalued that it's silly that this is a controversy. If it were up to me, I'd take number 8 permanently out of mothballs and put it in the regular rotation. However, I won't get upset if they retire it, because this really doesn't matter anymore. But it's time to poop or get off the potty. Either reissue the number or retire it. This in-between status is ridiculous. 

Maybe they're realizing that the two most appropriate times to retire the number have passed: When Carter got into the Hall of Fame, and when he died. There are no more trigger events that I can think of. (Unless they're waiting for the birth of his first great-grandchild?) 

[stevejrogers]

2 minutes ago, Benjamin Grimm said:

Retired numbers have become so devalued that it's silly that this is a controversy. If it were up to me, I'd take number 8 permanently out of mothballs and put it in the regular rotation. However, I won't get upset if they retire it, because this really doesn't matter anymore. But it's time to poop or get off the potty. Either reissue the number or retire it. This in-between status is ridiculous. 

Maybe they're realizing that the two most appropriate times to retire the number have passed: When Carter got into the Hall of Fame, and when he died. There are no more trigger events that I can think of. (Unless they're waiting for the birth of his first great-grandchild?) 

Or some sort of special event, like the 60th Anniversary Alumni game day to announce Willie’s

[Centerfield]

The Mets have butchered retired numbers from day 1. Cohen had a chance to make it right but instead just made it worse. 
 

Retiring a manager’s number is ridiculous. We did it twice. And neither of them are our winningest manager. Retiring Mays devalues all retired numbers. Retiring 8 for Carter would be as dumb as retiring 4 for Lenny. 

[Benjamin Grimm]

It's been almost 40 years since Carter last played in a game as a Met. They can wait another 20 years I guess. By then there will be an even smaller percentage of living fans who remember Gary Carter. 

[stevejrogers]

Since his name was invoked by Howie due to comparisons of assigning numbers, as opposed to requests (ie Rickey Henderson), this is honestly way different though than Kelvin Torve

He was 30 when the Mets added him to the big league roster

Was playing in the pros since 1981, 2nd round pick by SF, so the epitome of a AAAA player by the time he debuted as a Twin in 1988.

Only involved in one being moved from one organization to another transaction as well, being sent from the Giants to the Orioles in 1985 for another lifetime minor leaguer.

Ended up logging 42 games of MLB between 1988, 1990 and 1991, and finished his pro days in Japan in 1993

I think the point is the Torve assignment was a legit accident. 

Giving a rising prospect a single digit for his debut, even if unintentionally neglecting its “intentionally out of circulation” status, is more of an intentional numerical assignment.

[Edgy MD]

1 hour ago, stevejrogers said:

BTW, did any actually reach out to Mays, or an associate when the Torve “fiasco” happened?

I would suggest that it was less than a fiasco, but certainly a blunder.

I think it's important that the Carter and Mays cases be held as distinct from one another.

[Benjamin Grimm]

And did anyone squawk when Rickey Henderson and Robinson Cano got number 24? 

[Edgy MD]

I'm sure someone did, but in both cases, explicit permission from Mays was solicited and received.

[seawolf17]

There are a series of guys from those post-86 years when I was playing a lot of Micro League Baseball on the C64, and I would create these "prospects" regardless of whether they were actual prospects, with stats based on whatever I could find.

Torve was one of those guys who I "called up" and he had a phenomenal season, because all I knew was that the dude was a .300 hitter in AAA. Same with Lou Thornton; he stole 100 bases for me one season. I still have a soft spot for Julio Machado, who was a Micro League bullpen mainstay long before he murdered somebody.

[Benjamin Grimm]

"Outrage!"

[Benjamin Grimm]

Look how they put a bit of a halo around Gary Carter. Like he's scowling down at the Mets from heaven.

[Edgy MD]

And they put Morabito's face on the story, like he did anything wrong to put himself in the crosshairs.

The crosshairs of "outrage."

[The Hot Corner]

I just don't understand the outrage that some people have over this.  Gary Carter had a great career and justifiably is enshrined in Cooperstown.  He is correctly enshrined as a Montreal Expo, because that is where he established himself as a star and spent the bulk of his career.  He played 5 seasons with the Mets; 2 of which were very good and just happened to coincide with the Mets World Series Champs of 1986.  Timing is everything, I believe that had Carter's two very good seasons not been during the Mets championship run there would not be such a fuss over his number 8 being worn.  If they want to end such issues, the team should just retire his number.  I however, do not feel his overall career as a Met warrants such consideration and I personally am not a big fan of "moth balling" uniform numbers.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The only other number I'm aware of that the Mets have in mothballs is 48, which is a little more understandable, since Jacob deGrom is still an active player and his story is still being written. If it was up to me, I'd keep 48 in circulation too. 16, 17, and 18 were in use for years by other players before they were retired. 48 could be too.

 

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

I don't have any problems retiring numbers for Stengel and especially Hodges - for very different reasons. 

[MFS62]

4 hours ago, Benjamin Grimm said:

Look how they put a bit of a halo around Gary Carter. Like he's scowling down at the Mets from heaven.

And, like the real Gary, even in photoshop, he’s the person closest to the camera. 
later