12 (split from The Uniform)

[Edgy MD]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Number on the front. (Note the 50th Anniversary patch.)

I see 12 and think Francoeur is coming back. He's damaged that number for me.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I saw that and thought of Ken Boswell.

[metirish]

I saw Alomar.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Boy oh boy is that a recently haunted number. As if Frenchy the ********** isn't bad enough, I was reminded of the SmallBalls jackass.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I thought of Willie Small Balls.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Hafta say, I had to look it up to find it was also Scott Hairston's uni number. What a dynamic addition he turned out to be.

[Centerfield]

#12 is Ron Darling.

[TransMonk]

A buddy of mine had a John Stearns Mets jersey...big Stearns fan. We went and saw the Orioles play in the mid-ninties when Stearns was coaching under Davey. We made our way down to the filed level during batting practice and my buddy starts yelling at Stearns to come over and take a picture and Stearns ignores him. After about 5 minutes of my friend yelling at him, John turns around to look. My buddy points to his jersey number and yells, "Look, I'm wearing your number."

Stearn's yelled back, "That's not my number. That's Jeff Kent's number."

12 was always Stearns to me after that.

[Guest sharpie]

Boswell all the way for me.

[G-Fafif]

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

TransMonk wrote: A buddy of mine had a John Stearns Mets jersey...big Stearns fan. We went and saw the Orioles play in the mid-ninties when Stearns was coaching under Davey. We made our way down to the filed level during batting practice and my buddy starts yelling at Stearns to come over and take a picture and Stearns ignores him. After about 5 minutes of my friend yelling at him, John turns around to look. My buddy points to his jersey number and yells, "Look, I'm wearing your number." Stearn's yelled back, "That's not my number. That's Jeff Kent's number." 12 was always Stearns to me after that.

I once heard a story about Stearns when Davey Johnson was managing the Reds, and Marge Schott was the owner and didn't want to pay for more coaches. So he had Stearns on the field before the games in a batting practice jersey without a name or number, and Schott could never figure out who he was.

I ran into Stearns at a spring training game in Ft. Lauderdale -- he signed my Mets book -- and he confirmed the story. Great stuff.

[ashie62]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I saw that and thought of Ken Boswell.

ditto

[seawolf17]

Stearns for me. Darling's a 44 in my mind.

[TransMonk]

G-Fafif wrote:

Dunston might be my favorite 3 month Met. I dig the nameless jersey's, too.

[metirish]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: TransMonk wrote: A buddy of mine had a John Stearns Mets jersey...big Stearns fan. We went and saw the Orioles play in the mid-ninties when Stearns was coaching under Davey. We made our way down to the filed level during batting practice and my buddy starts yelling at Stearns to come over and take a picture and Stearns ignores him. After about 5 minutes of my friend yelling at him, John turns around to look. My buddy points to his jersey number and yells, "Look, I'm wearing your number." Stearn's yelled back, "That's not my number. That's Jeff Kent's number." 12 was always Stearns to me after that. I once heard a story about Stearns when Davey Johnson was managing the Reds, and Marge Schott was the owner and didn't want to pay for more coaches. So he had Stearns on the field before the games in a batting practice jersey without a name or number, and Schott could never figure out who he was. I ran into Stearns at a spring training game in Ft. Lauderdale -- he signed my Mets book -- and he confirmed the story. Great stuff.

great Stearns stories

[Edgy MD]

My definitive 12 is definitely Stearns. It's just Francoeur and his oh-for-July who turned the number sour for me.

[Farmer Ted]

Stoins!

[Fman99]

Francoeur

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Is it weird that I have more of a someone-wearing-an-unwisely-purchased-Frenchy-jersey picture in my head than any particular Met?

[MFS62]

The image of John Stephenson striking out for the final out of Jim Bunning's perfect game is firmly etched in my mind.

Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Only, he would have been wearing 49 then.

Stephenson didn't wear 12 until 1966.

[MFS62]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Only, he would have been wearing 49 then. Stephenson didn't wear 12 until 1966.

Oops. You're right.
Well, the image is still etched in my mind. But dammit, the uniform number is blurry after all these years.
Never mind.
But Joe Ginsberg wore #12, didn't he?

Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Stephenson wore 49, then 19 then 12.

Ginsburg was 12, yes as was Jesse Gonder, who caught that Bunning game. There's a photo in the Honig Mets book from behind home plate as Stephenson whiffs. It shows the entire scoreboard (with the Mets' lineup on the left, btw). Very helpful in these matters.

[batmagadanleadoff]