Rico Brogna and the Long Sunset: Mets in Retirement, 2012

[G-Fafif]

Another Met Hunter question: Is there ever any call, or have you ever attempted, to secure the participation of shall we say Met pariahs at an event like the one Sunday? Would a Richie Hebner or a Vince Coleman show up? And based on your experience, would they be well-received?

One more question: Is there going to be a gap at future Met-intensive shows given that so many Met stars from the past ten or so years have or presumably will have retired to Latin America? (Followup: Is language a barrier in situations like those?)

[seawolf17]

Met Hunter wrote: I hear what you're saying. Through the years my wife has occasionally given me a hard time, but I always keep it in check. That being said, bringing Clarence back to New York. Seeing the smiles on everyones faces, from young and old fans, to Met personnel and former players and HOFers. Giving him a sense of respect he hasnt realized in decades has made it all worth it for me. He appreciated the scratch too.

Blargh. Knew I should have gone on Sunday. I'll track him down for the collection eventually, I hope.

[G-Fafif]

Three Original Mets who aren't Choo Choo Coleman speaking at last Saturday's BBWAA dinner here.

[Edgy MD]

Ed Charles, Hall of Famer.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Big night for Jasper Hunter Dixon too.

[Met Hunter]

G-Fafif wrote: Another Met Hunter question: Is there ever any call, or have you ever attempted, to secure the participation of shall we say Met pariahs at an event like the one Sunday? Would a Richie Hebner or a Vince Coleman show up? And based on your experience, would they be well-received? One more question: Is there going to be a gap at future Met-intensive shows given that so many Met stars from the past ten or so years have or presumably will have retired to Latin America? (Followup: Is language a barrier in situations like those?)

A Met pariah event would be something. Not sure fans would come out to greet Bobby Bo or Mel Rojas. Interestingly, I once asked Richie Hebner why he despised being a Met so much. He said, in his best salty New England accent, "What was I supposed to do, be happy?, we f*ckin sucked."

There are some great obscure latino Mets, that I would love to meet. Sergio Ferrer, Luis Rosado, the other Pedro Martinez. That should make it interesting for the future. Not sure you'll see too many of them around town. I attended the BAT event Tuesday night and was able to see Willie Montanez. I asked Benny Ayala, like I do most years to bring in a Mario Ramirez or Ricky Otero. That would be cool.

[Edgy MD]

It might have been a cool idea if, during one of the San Juan games, somebody organized a reunion of retired Puerto Rican Mets (active ones included below). Surely somebody could've lined up 10 of these guys.

Manati
Carlos Beltran

Aguadilla
Julio Valera, Carlos Delgado

Arecibo
Orlando Mercado

Bayamon
Dicky Gonzalez, Jesus Feliciano, Omir Santos

Caguas
Alex Cora

Carolina
Willie Collazo

Catano
Willie Montanez

Cidra
Luis Rivera, Luis Lopez

Fajardo
Jos� Santiago

Humacao
Junior Ortiz, Mario Diaz, Edwin Nu�ez, Raul Casanova

Isabela
Felix Mantilla

Lajas
Luis Alvarado, Robinson Cancel

Manati
Jos� Valentin

Ponce
Pepe Mangual, Gil Flores, Roberto Alomar, Ricky Ledee

Rio Piedras
Jos� Oquendo, Rey Sanchez, Tito Navarro, Pedro Feliciano, Juan Padilla, Angel Pagan, Ruben Gotay

Salinas
Sandy Alomar, Sandy Alomar

Santurce
Sergio Ferrer, Luis Rosado, Roberto Hernandez, Luis Alicea, Carlos Baerga, Raul Gonzalez

Vega Baja
Luis Aguayo, Ricky Otero, Ramon Castro

Yabucoa
Felix Millan, Jerry Morales

Yauco
Benny Ayala, Mario Ramirez

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

I met Hebner last year and asked him to sign my Mets book. He appeared at a West Michigan Whitecaps game -- the team has "Tiger Fridays" with old Tigers -- and the team gave out bobble heads of Hebner wearing a Tigers road uniform of that era. Instead of swinging a bat, he's swinging a shovel. It's pretty cool.

Tigers fans think it's odd that I stand in line with a Mets book, but it's been a good way to add former Mets to the book. Frank Howard appeared the year before and was really nice.

[G-Fafif]

Eric Hillman exposes the Worst Team Money Could Buy as the Worst Team a Young Met Could Come Up With, on SportsTalkNY, via Metstradamus.

These guys didn't care about anything. The worst of the worst was Bonilla. He did not care about the game, he didn't care about anything except his cars, his jewelry, and his real estate, and that's about all these guys, that's about all he cared about and I'd be happy to say that, hopefully he's listening because he knows it's true.

And Frank Tanana was as depressing to sit next to as he was to watch pitch.

I got Frank Tanana at the end of his career ... we're sitting on the bench one day and he said "E ... I've been on some bad teams in my career ... but this is the worst ... if you go out and pitch well, you're probably going to lose. But you go out and pitch badly, you're guaranteed to lose."

[Edgy MD]

Wow, it's like Joan Rivers was interviewing him.

Eric Hillman: six feet and 10 inches of dishin' it. Meow!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Frank Tanana! I had just about forgotten that he was a Met.

By the time they got him, he was long past his days as a sensation with the Angels. I remember when he and Nolan Ryan (who also used to be a Met, by the way) were just striking out everybody.

Those 19 years between Tanana's rookie year (1974) and the year he became a Met (1993) seem like even longer than that to me, because those same years took me from being an 11-year-old to being a (slightly wiser) 30-year-old.

Now? 19 years! Pish! That's nothing!

[batmagadanleadoff]

I remember Tanana the one-season Met well ... maybe even better than I recall some recent Met hurlers ... probably because Tanana was once such a big-name pitcher and the toast of Anaheim. He was simply toast - hold the town- by the time the Mets got him. Tanana set the Mets single season record for most HR's allowed by a LHP (26). The record stood until last season when Capuano yielded 27 taters (pitching half his games in the Citi Field Cavern).

[G-Fafif]

Y'all gotta listen to this Hillman interview. And then somebody's gotta sign him to do an Ex-Met Morning Zoo.

[G-Fafif]

Followed by Doug Flynn!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

G-Fafif wrote: Y'all gotta listen to this Hillman interview. And then somebody's gotta sign him to do an Ex-Met Morning Zoo.

Listening now.

[Guest SPORTSTALKNY]

Wow, it's like Joan Rivers was interviewing him. Eric Hillman: six feet and 10 inches of dishin' it. Meow!

?? JOAN RIVERS ?? I WAS THE ONE INTERVIEWING HIM..WHAT DOES JOAN RIVERS MEAN ??

[Edgy MD]

It means you got some juicy material out of him. Nice job.

Welcome aboard, SPORTSTALKNY.

[Edgy MD]

I'm playing it through now. Really good stuff.

[Edgy MD]

Jerry Grote, meet bus.

[Fman99]

Hey a new guy! Welcome aBordick!

[G-Fafif]

Mike Cameron moves out of Nats camp and retires.

7iviWn8UMR8

It wasn't quite "L.A. Woman," but for the meaty part of 2004, Cameron's celebratory clubhouse jam made its way to the Shea speakers after wins. I can still hear it blaring from the Saturday afternoon 10-9 triumph over the MFYs.

[metirish]

Happy trails Mike, good guy, can't believe it was 2005 when he got traded from the Mets, time flies.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Always-- ALWAYS-- a standup guy; I was almost sad when we signed Beltran (almost) because it meant his Met days were numbered.

Have a vivid memory of him signing autographs for an hour during/after an early-season rain delay (and, IIRC, eventual cancellation) in '04. Maybe my favorite short-term (< 2 years) Met of the '00s.

[Edgy MD]

Memories of Mike Cameron.

[Frayed Knot]

Man when I tell you he was cool he was red hot, I mean he was steaming

[Edgy MD]

Human torch.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Pumpsie Green honored by hometown.

[TransMonk]

Boy, did I pick the wrong childhood hero.

Lenny Dykstra sentenced to 3 years

[Benjamin Grimm]

Today is Darryl Strawberry's 50th birthday.

[Edgy MD]

1986:


2012: