The 2015 Rico Thread: Mets in Retirement

[stevejrogers]

Melvin Mora to be inducted in the Orioles' Hall of Fame this summer

[Edgy MD]

Speaking of the Orioles, it's a good time to acknowledge the retirement of the greatest Sino-Panamanian-American in baseball history, Bruce Chen.

17 years
11 teams
82 wins
1 save

Remarkable career.

[G-Fafif]

With Chen's retirement, Marco Scutaro's January release from the Giants despite his being owed another year of compensation and nothing have come of Pedro Feliciano's invitation to Cubs camp, the undisputed Longest Ago Met Still Active is old man Jose Reyes. Next-longest? Equally ancient David Wright.

Both are on the DL, but that's to be expected of men of their advanced years.

[Edgy MD]

Astros pitching coach Brent Strom fondly recalls his earliest days in New York, and becoming the second-ever recipient of Tommy John surgery.

[fimg=600]http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2229337.1432139023!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/477589943sd00017-houston-as.jpg?enlarged[/fimg]

[Edgy MD]

Great Cleon Jones material in a US-based pan-African (aggregator?) journal.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Bridge games with Tom Seaver. Catch up with Del Unser, who was involved in trades that saw Met fan favorites Tug McGraw and then Wayne Garrett shipped out of town.



excerpt:

[unser] would develop into a dynamite pinch-hitter who hurt Dan Quisenberry and the Royals in the �80 Fall Classic and also set a pinch-hitting record by homering in three consecutive plate appearances.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/del-unser-traded-mets-tug-mcgraw-article-1.2245948

____________

Did you know that hours before Steve "Hendu Can Do" Henderson hit his unforgettable walk off HR against the Giants in 1980, he proposed to his fiancee? They're still married, 35 years later. Read all about it.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/steve-henderson-traded-seaver-article-1.2195267

[Edgy MD]

Why the heck is Unser's logo patch so faded? I'd guess it was commemorative 1977 New York blackout version of the patch, but I'd quickly be reminded that he was gone by mid 1976.

[Edgy MD]

The Daily News catches up with Rafael Santana.

I assume part of this is an illusion of depth and angle, but check out how far off the bag he is, with the runner (Marty Barrett?) still coming after him.

[fimg=650]http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2261277.1434564096!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/watn18s-2-web.jpg?enlarged[/fimg]

[MFS62]

Coming soon, to a retirement ceremony near you - Marco Scutaro:
http://www.csnbayarea.com/giants/giants-re-sign-scutaro-so-he-can-retire-sf?p=ya5nbcs&ocid=yahoo

Later

[Ceetar]

heard that Chris Schwinden is now a California State Trooper.

[Guest El Segundo Escupidor]

Before I opened this thread i was guessing Dillon Gee.

[Edgy MD]

Worth a bump, considering latter-day context.

Edgy MD wrote: The Daily News catches up with Rafael Santana. I assume part of this is an illusion of depth and angle, but check out how far off the bag he is, with the runner (Marty Barrett?) still coming after him. [fimg=650]http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2261277.1434564096!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/watn18s-2-web.jpg?enlarged[/fimg]

[Edgy MD]

Dave Magadan takes over as batting coach for Chip Hale's Diamondbacks

[MFS62]

Mike Hessman calls it a career.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/mike-hessman--the-minor-leagues-all-time-home-run-leader--retires-222337630.html

And a record setting career it was.

Later

[Edgy MD]

Lenny Randle trying to manage the Nettunesi to their former glory. Story at Rolling Stone.com, of all places.

Looks like a crappy turn-of-the-century Mets jersey.

[Edgy MD]

Howard Johnson trying to get back up again, taking over as manager for the High Desert Mavericks.

[MFS62]

Mike Hessman got a job as a minor league hitting instructor For the Tigers.

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2015/12/19/mike-hessman-detroit-tigers/77638680/

Later