Mets Hall of Fame Orange Group

[Guest Edgy DC]

Let your stylus punch four chads free from their moorings.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Oops -- this thread only allows one selection.

[Guest themetfairy]

Jack Lang and Frank Cashen.

[soupcan]

Cashen, Johnson, Orosco, Stearns.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Cashen, Johnson, Lang.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

This is the only group where I had to eliminate a borderline worthy choice. In the others my fourth pick was an "If I gotta."

[seawolf17]

Cashen, HoJo, Lang, Orosco.

[G-Fafif]

I'm totally with Seawolf here.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Ha. Inadvertently ditto'd seawolf and G-reg.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Cashen, Johnson, Lang.[/quote:29mnypba]

Cashen: Built one of only two championship teams, and a legendary one at that. Brought the Mets out of the doldrums that the de Roulet regime left them in. Combine that with what he achieved in Baltimore, and he should get consideration for that other Hall of Fame too. (The one in Cooperstown.)

Johnson: Not the strongest of candidates, but he ranks high in the all-time list for both home runs and base hits, and had several kick-ass seasons. If he was as productive in even-numbered years, he'd be a shoe-in.

Lang: I didn't originally vote for him (in the first round) but figured that, since he's dead at the present time and beyond any perceived conflict of interest (unlike Marty Noble) he does deserve to be honored for long and meritorious service.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Cashen, Hojo, Leiter and Orosco. Alois is probably deserving anyway, but gets bonus points for the play-in game in '99. Stearns may have made my cut in one of the other pools.

[G-Fafif]

I think Cashen rates highly because the Mets set a precedent by inducting key front office types early on (holy crap, a compliment for the Mets!). They did the HOF for four years without a single player going in.

Interesting, in retrospect (and even at the time), that the first players were Rusty and Buddy, in 1986; they skipped 1985 altogether. I understand Seaver was still active, but Rusty struck me as a bit of a stretch for the first class. Not insane (and not undeserved eventually), just a little curious in its timing. Four years as a regular, five years as a pinch-hitter, more than half his career elsewhere. They were giving him his Day with the red wigs around then so I guess it all made sense to somebody. Buddy and Krane or Buddy and Kooz or Buddy and Cleon would have seemed a neater fit. But Rusty was a significant enough character for the good in two eras and ultrapopular always.

Not that it should be attendance-dependent by any means, but I'm thinking the presence of George Weiss on the same 1982 induction bill as Gil Hodges didn't sell too many additional tickets.

[HahnSolo]

Faith and Fear in Flushing has just been de-bookmarked by Mrs. Weiss.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Where's the love for John Stearns. Late '70s, he was all we had to root for!

[Guest Edgy DC]

There's a finite amount of love, I guess.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm a big fan of Bad Dude, but I don't see him as HOF-worthy.

I'd love to see him come back as a Mets manager, win three to eleven pennants, and get himself into the Mets Hall. But based on what he's actually done, I'm afraid he falls short.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Stoins was hired as a scout by the Mariners. I guess he didn't get a job with the Mets as was predicted.

[Valadius]

Cashen, Johnson, Leiter, Orosco.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

HoJo, Cashen, Leiter, and Orosco.

[Guest Kong76]

Cashen
Hojo
Lang
Orosco