God, I hate not having him alive. Even though he was sidelined since last spring, he was still ours. We still had Tom Seaver front and center for us. We could hold our head up with any team's fans. It was an intangible, maybe only in my mind, but it was something. A few thoughts besides http://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/2020/09/02/no-41-in-our-hearts/here. Agreed. I wouldn't have traded Tom for that third title, either. (But Yoenis hasn't aged so well in the category of lone other authentic all-time Mets great.) • A hypothetical offer my friend made me: I could have another Mets world championship affixed to their past. That is to say any year I wanted could be added to 1969 and 1986. It could be a year they came close, it could be a year they finished last. It would be worked into their backstory and our memory bank. It wouldn't alter the course of team history otherwise and I wouldn't have to do anything wacky like go back and live my life from that year forward, but it would come at a cost. In exchange for that third retroactively granted world championship, the Mets could never have had Tom Seaver. They'd still win what they won in 1969 and 1973, but without The Franchise or anybody truly like him. Seaver never would've existed as a Met. Forty-one would be just another number. Would I take that deal, he asked. I thought for less than 41 seconds and told him, no, I would not. We have one actual Seaver (if no Seaver statue) after more than fifty years. Except for Cespedes, he's our one authentic all-time Met great. That's got to be worth one hypothetical championship. http://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/2015/09/16/meaning-and-games-in-september/http://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/2015/09/16/meaning-and-games-in-september/ Cespedes's stature is in for reappraisal.