Eponymous Games

[Centerfield]

I joked last night that we had just watched "The Johnny Monell Game". Of course it won't end up being that. And it's likely that a few months from now few of us will remember last night's game clearly at all. Eponymous Games are interesting. Sometimes they are obscure players, sometimes they are superstars. Sometimes they are post-season thrillers, sometimes they are otherwise insignificant games in non-memorable seasons. I don't think there is any one particular criteria, but like the Supreme Court once said about porn, we know it when we see it.

We've had this discussion before. Eight years ago to be exact:

http://archives.cranepoolforum.net/6300/f1_t6388.shtml

It's interesting to read through that thread and see which have stood the test of time. I have no memory of the Ramon Castro game. But the Victor Diaz game still stands out.

I thought it would be fun to re-visit the list. Maybe nominate about 20 or so then vote for our top 10? See what games we can add in the last 8 years.

A few ground rules I was thinking of:

1. It has to be "The (First Name) (Last Name) Game". No descriptions or qualifiers.
2. It cannot be a hybrid "The Olerud-Schilling Game".
3. For now, let's limit it to Mets only (So "The JT Snow Game" is not eligible).
4. It can be wins or losses ("The Luis Castillo Game" being an example).
5. If a nomination has at least one other legitimate possibility as agreed by 2 other posters, it is eliminated from contention (For instance, if The Benny Agbayani Game is nominated and the 14th inning HR is intended, but 2 other posters associate that with the Grand Slam in Tokyo, it is eliminated as an Eponymous Game)

I'll start with one of my favorite ones. The Dave Mlicki Game.

[Ceetar]

The Tom Glavine game.

[Gwreck]

The Omir Santos game.

[Edgy MD]

Centerfield wrote: 1. It has to be "The (First Name) (Last Name) Game". No descriptions or qualifiers.

How about "The (Hyphenated-Pair-of-Last-Names) (First-Name-Because-We-in-America-Can't-Get-with-Korean-Conventions-of-Family-Names-First) Game"?

For I nominate "The Dae-Sung Koo Game."

[Centerfield]

Sure. We cannot leave off Mr. Koo.

[RealityChuck]

Do you mean Mets games named for an opposing player? Because that gives you the Rick Ankiel Game.

Or Mets games named for a nonhuman: the Black Cat game.

[Edgy MD]

There are plenty of games where Dave Kingman did something remarkable, but I tend to think of the one where he made Tommy LaSorda go nuts as "The Kingman Game."

If there is an Eponymous Gary Carter Game, it is his first.

If there is an Eponymous REM Album, it is their sixth.

[Gwreck]

The ground rules (above) limited this to games named after Mets, not opposing players or Hall-of-Fame Rock acts.

Bringing us back on topic:
The Steve Henderson game.

[Edgy MD]

Little known fact: After John Buck's big power surge in April 2013 fizzled out, he was replaced by his brother Peter for the rest of the season.

[Guest d'Kong76]

A very recent one: The Steven Matz Game

[ashie62]

The Todd Pratt game.

[Guest d'Kong76]

seawolf17 May 18 2007 06:43 PM I was thinking Fonzie's 6-for-6 in Houston, actually.

That was something!
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1999/B08300HOU1999.htm

[Centerfield]

d'Kong76 wrote: A very recent one: The Steven Matz Game

For this one, I am hoping that very soon we will be able to say "Which one? There are so many?"

[Centerfield]

The Bobby Jones Game

The Matt Franco Game

[Guest d'Kong76]

That first game will be tough to dethrone, but I'm with ya!

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: There are plenty of games where Dave Kingman did something remarkable, but I tend to think of the one where he made Tommy LaSorda go nuts as "The Kingman Game."

I'm too lazy to look this up right now, but was Kingman with the Mets or the Cubs for that one?

[Edgy MD]

You got me, that was 1978. Kingman's best year.

Going for a brain checkup now.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I don't know if he went nuts twice, but here's the most googly... so, Cubs...
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/sports/baseball/what-about-those-three-kingman-homers-oops.html

[Centerfield]

Game 6 of the '99 NLCS might have been an Eponymous Game if not for an interesting twist. If Todd Pratt had kept running it might have been The Robin Ventura Game. Instead it's called the Grand Slam Single.

And no hitters, as far as I can tell, are never referred to as The Johan Santana Game.

[Ceetar]

Centerfield wrote: Game 6 of the '99 NLCS might have been an Eponymous Game if not for an interesting twist. If Todd Pratt had kept running it might have been The Robin Ventura Game. Instead it's called the Grand Slam Single. And no hitters, as far as I can tell, are never referred to as The Johan Santana Game.

The Johan Santana game was game 161 of 2008.

[Edgy MD]

The Akeel Morris Game. Not much dispute about which one that is.

[Gwreck]

Ceetar wrote: The Johan Santana game was game 161 of 2008.

Until the no-hitter happened. At that point, there was no longer one "Johan Santana Game." Hence he wouldn't be eligible for the list.

[Lefty Specialist]

The Esix Snead game. Pretty much his entire career right there.

[Guest themetfairy]

The Garrett Olson game is one for which he'd prefer not to be remembered....

[G-Fafif]

The strangely enough I riffed on something like this one year ago tomorrow in honor of Don Young Game.

[dgwphotography]

The Luis Castillo game *shudder*

[MFS62]

If its the same game mentioned before, I remember the Victor Diaz game as the Craig Brazell game. He hit his only major league homer in the same game, and it was the game winner in extra innings.

Later

[Centerfield]

Maybe?

[Frayed Knot]

Centerfield wrote: Maybe?

Gotta win the game first.

[Zvon]

whoops