Nolan Ryan = George Harrison... bear with me. It makes sense.

Nolan Ryan and George Harrison had very similar careers.
That statement may seem like a stretch.

One was a Texas born fireballer who now hangs out with former President Bush.
The other was a native of Liverpool who jammed with Ravi Shankar.

Not much in common on the surface.

But trust me, The Ryan Express and The Quiet Beatle had many parallels.

1. As young men, they were overshadowed by their more famous teammates/bandmates

The pitching talent on the 1969 Mets was fantastic. And 22 year old Nolan Ryan could not take the spotlight away from Tom Seaver, the best pitcher in the league.

With a staff that included Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Gary Gentry in the rotation and Ron Taylor and Tug McGraw in the bullpen, it was tough for Ryan to leave his mark. The talent was there (92 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings) but the chances to display the talent were limited.

George Harrison was brought into the Beatles to be the lead guitarist. The group already had a pair of alpha dogs who did the lionshare of the composing and handling the lead vocals. As great as George was, he only got one or two tracks per album.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney were like a pair of Tom Seavers.

2. Both had great moments of glory at Shea Stadium in the 1960's

On August 15, 1965, the same year the Mets drafted Nolan Ryan out of Alvin High School, George and his Beatle mates played a little concert at Shea Stadium.

55,000 people showed up to see them play, which at the time was the largest venue they had ever performed in.

It was considered to be the high watermark of their live performing in terms of their legacy. It was also the biggest event Shea Stadium had ever seen up until that point. (That same day the Mets and Al Jackson shut out the Houston Astros 3-0 in the Astrodome. The Mets were in last place, 32 1/2 games behind the Dodgers.)

The next great moment in Shea Stadium history took place on October 6, 1969. The Mets defeated the Atlanta Braves, 7-4, and clinched the National League pennant. The pitcher on the mound when they clinched? Nolan Ryan.

8 days later, Shea Stadium hosted its first World Series game as the Mets beat the Orioles 5-0 in Game 3 of the 1969 World Series. The pitcher on the mound at the end of the game? Nolan Ryan.

3. Both gave previews of their future greatness

George's contributions to the Beatles became more and more significant, even if his allotment of songs did not increase.

His songs evolved from Taxman and If I Needed Someone to the iconic While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

By the time Abbey Road and Let It Be came about, some of the best songs were from George Harrison. Something, Here Comes The Sun and I Me Mine were among those album's highlights.

Meanwhile the Mets of the early 1970's were still Tom Seaver's team. But Nolan Ryan was showing flashes of his future dominance. He struck out 15 batters in one game on April 18, 1970, setting a Mets record that Seaver would break just a few days later. The spotlight was never far from Seaver, but the Texas kid clearly had ability that could not be contained.

4. Both took to a great change by achieving beyond people's expectations

The Mets gave up on Nolan Ryan after the 1971 season, shipping him off to the California Angels in exchange for Jim Fregosi.

With a clean slate, Ryan put together numbers that had never been seen before. The Ryan Express led the league in strikeouts in the first three seasons in Anaheim. His 383 strikeouts in 1973 remain the most in a single season for the modern era.

He started compiling strikeouts and no hitters at a record clip. His pitches were the fastest ever recorded. He led the league in strikeouts for seven of his eight years in California. The talent that was hinted at in New York exploded in California and would continue as he moved on to Houston after the 1979 playoffs.

As Nolan Ryan was transforming into the American League's most intimidating pitcher, George Harrison's talents exploded after the Beatles disbanded.

No longer confined to a few songs an album, George released "All Things Must Pass", the musical equivalent of Nolan Ryan's 383 strikeouts.

The double album was filled with tracks that never made it onto Beatles albums. (A version of the title track was featured in the Beatles Anthology.)

My Sweet Lord, What is Life, Wah Wah, Isn't it a Pity, All Things Must Pass, Behind that Locked Door, I Dig Love, Let it Down... there were more great tracks on the album than anyone could have guessed from "The Quiet Beatle."

George continued to write and sing great songs in the 1970s. Living in the Material World had many great songs. His Concert for Bangladesh was one of the great live albums and a precursor to Live Aid.

5. Both had a resurgence in the mid to late 1980s

Nolan Ryan never went away. He kept striking out batters and throwing no hitters. But in 1987 at age 40, he led the National League in strikeouts and earned run average. At age 41, he led the National League in strikeouts again.

In 1989, he moved from the Astros to the Rangers. Not only did he not miss a beat at age 42, he got better.

He struck out 301 batters in his first year with the Rangers, the highest total in the majors.

He would lead the league with 232 k's at age 43 with the 1990 Rangers. He compiled two more no hitters, giving him a record seven. And as a Ranger he passed the 5,000 strikeouts mark. His final total, 5,714, remains nearly 1,000 more than the runner up (Randy Johnson's 4,875.)

A new generation appreciated Ryan's brilliance. Older men looked at Ryan's longevity as an inspiration and the endorsement money poured in.

And the last image of Ryan's career might have been his fight with Robin Ventura, a sign that the old guy had some spark in him against the young up and coming players.

Meanwhile George Harrison emerged from a few years out of the spotlight (especially after John Lennon's murder) with the release of the album Cloud Nine.

His 1987 collaboration with producer Jeff Lynne became one of his biggest successes. He covered an obscure 1960's Rudy Clark song "Got My Mind Set On You" and turned it into a number one hit.

He composed his own songs including the title track, "This is Love" and his Beatles inspired "When We Was Fab."

In 1988, as Ryan was finishing his time in Houston, Harrison was involved in another unexpected success. The Traveling Wilbury's released their first album. The group that featured Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne. They had several hits including "Handle with Care" and "End of the Line".

The Quiet Beatle made all new fans, many of whom discovered his previous tracks for the first time.

6. Both had success behind the scenes

In the late 1970's through the 1980's when George Harrison's musical output was minimal, he was still contributing to the entertainment world.

Along with a business partner, he set up Handmade Films and proceeded to produce some of the most profitable and some of the best British films of the era.

Monty Python's Life of Brian was their maiden voyage. Not a bad first film out of the gate. Handmade Films also produced Time Bandits, Mona Lisa and Withnail and I.

Meanwhile Nolan Ryan took over as principal owner of the Texas Rangers. The result was a turnaround of a moribund franchise. The team became a regular contender, winning the 2010 and 2011 American League pennant. They got to within one strike in two different innings of winning the 2011 World Series.

7. Both appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in the 1960's

Granted, the Beatles multiple performances on The Ed Sullivan Show (no relation to me) were just a little more celebrated than Ryan's.

In fact the Beatles arrival on the Ed Sullivan stage was considered to be one of the great significant moments in pop culture history.

Maybe it wasn't as well known as the Fab Four's debut. But Nolan Ryan sang along with several of his 1969 Met teammates on the Sullivan stage not long after their World Series clincher.

They sang the song "You've Gotta Have Heart" from Damn Yankees.

The screaming for the Mets was not as constant as it was for the Beatles.



So there you have it.
On first glance, they might not look similar.

But Nolan Ryan and George Harrison had their share of similarities. Both were legends. Both exceeded expectations.

If Nolan Ryan's wife left him for Eric Clapton, then it would have been even more apt.

Let's let George play us out.




 

Getting ready for kick off... thinking about the 1986 World Series

OF COURSE I am thinking about the 1986 World Series... what else would I be thinking about as the games deciding the Super Bowl berths are about to be played.

But I am not thinking about it for the reasons that you would think.

In the past, I lamented 1986 as the ultimate "what might have been."
But 2004 and 2007 put that to rest.

Then I lamented the great flop of 1986 when I thought of Jim Rice's candidacy for the Hall of Fame. Had the Red Sox won in 1986, I argued, Rice would have been in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. He didn't have Ted's stats or Yaz's stats... but the Sox would have won when Rice was captain.

Rice's election last year put that to rest.

But today's Jets game got me thinking about that fateful 10th inning.
The Mets and Jets are very similar franchises... and not just because their names rhyme.

They are second banana franchises in their own cities. The Yankees own the baseball scene and the Giants have always had a bigger following.

They both have had their share of heart break and dysfunction over the years.

Both have fan bases that have listened to Yankee fans and Giant fans crow about their more recent titles. The Yankees with their 27 titles and the Giants with Super Bowl titles in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

And of course they each had, over a period of 9 months in 1969, a startling championship that defined their franchise to this very day.

Both seemed beyond the realm of possibility... the AFL was supposed to be inferior to the NFL and the Super Bowl had been a lackluster joke in its first two games.

And of course the Mets averaged a 56-106 record for each of its first seven seasons.

Both teams rode the back of a brash new superstar... Broadway Joe predicting the outcome by the poolside...

Tom Terrific mowing down NL batters left and right heading into the Series.


And oddly, they both beat heavily favored teams that played in Baltimore.

Now there is one huge difference between the franchises:

The Jets have never won since. The Mets have... one other time.

The Mets have that, for them, Amazin' moment of coming back from 2 runs down, 2 outs, nobody on in the 10th that was so beautifully recreated in this video game.

Now just imagine if the Mets never won that game. (And NO, I am not going to say "Imagine if Buckner made that play. The game was already tied. Buckner's error prevented the game from going into the 10th. It neither clinched the World Series for the Met nor would have clinched the World Series for the Red Sox... please tattoo that on your wrist.)

Imagine if Gary Carter made an out... or Kevin Mitchell made an out... or Schraldi got that third strike on Ray Knight... or Mookie Wilson swung and missed on one of his 2 strike foul balls against Bob Stanley.

Trust me, I did every day of my life between October 1986 to October 2004.

But I always thought of the Red Sox side... for the Mets, they would still be pining for 1969.

1986 would have been thrown on the scrap pile of frustrations along with the end of the 1973 World Series, the trade of Seaver, the Scioscia homer in 1988, the bases loaded walk to end the 1999 NLCS, losing to the Yankees in the 2000 World Series, the called third on Beltran, the great collapse of 2007, the almost as great collapse of 2008...

All the while clinging to their lone moment of glory in 1969.

Kind of like the Jets do now, still waiting for that second great highlight to go with Joe Willy Namath running off the field, finger in the air.

A World Series fact I bet you didn't know

I was driving the other day doing what i do best... thinking about random baseball stuff.

And in my wandering mind I stumbled across a little factoid that surprised me.

Two expansion franchises have never met each other in the World Series.

In every World Series there has been at least one franchise that existed back in 1903 (the year of the first series.)

Think about it for a second...

Since 1961 there have been 14 new franchises added to Major League Baseball.

1961 gave us the Angels (whether they are from Los Angeles, California, Anaheim or Los Angeles of Anaheim) and the new Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers.)

1962 gave us the Houston Colt .45s (now the Astros) and the Mets.

1969 was the beginning of the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots (now the Milwaukee Brewers.) Also that year was the debut of the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals.)

1977 marked the debut of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners.

1993 the NL expanded to form the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies.

And the last expansion was 1998 with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Now the Rangers, the Nationals and the Mariners have never played in a World Series.

The first ever expansion team to win a pennant was the 1969 Mets and they played the Orioles... who began as the Milwaukee Brewers and became the St. Louis Browns.

In 1973 the Mets played the A's... who were in Oakland but were a team in 1903.

The other two Mets pennants (1986 and 2000) were against the Red Sox and Yankees.

The next expansion franchise to win a pennant was the Royals. They played the Phillies in 1980 and the Cardinals in 1985.

The Brewers (formerly the Pilots) played the Cardinals in 1982.

The Padres played the Tigers in 1984 and the Yankees in 1998.

The Blue Jays played the Braves in 1992 and the Phillies in 1993.

The Marlins beat the Indians in 1997 and the Yankees in 2003.

The Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in 2001.

The Angels beat the Giants (San Francisco by way of New York) in 2002.

The Astros lone pennant was a loss to the White Sox in 2005.

The Rockies played the Red Sox in 2007.

The Rays played the Phillies in 2008.

There it is... no two expansion teams have ever faced off.

Oh there have been close calls.

The 1980 Astros had the pennant winning run in scoring position in the NLCS which would have clinched a Houston/Kansas City World Series.

The 1986 Angels were one strike away, a sacrifice fly away and a Gary Pettis near home run away from meeting the Mets in the World Series.

What does this mean?

What is the significance? 

Well if the Angels play the Rockies in the World Series... it will be unique. (Not that it will get good ratings.)

And if I am forced to have this little nugget in my head... then by God you will have it too!

NEW YORK METS - ALL TIME HOME GROWN TEAM vs. ALL TIME ACQUIRED TEAM

I’ve got 26 more teams to breakdown their homegrown vs. acquired all time roster and only 3 ½ months to do it.

No time to rest.
We did the Yankees… let’s go across town and check out the Mets.

Ahhh the Mets. It takes a certain kind of character to be a Mets fan. You have the option of the Yankees who have the tradition, the history, the championships and the clean crisp uniforms.

Or you have the Mets who give their fans a treat about every other decade but the rest of the time their fans sink into their seats, face in their hands and shake their head thinking “Why do I root for this team?”

Because you are Masochists!!!!

Or you think it builds character. (Like there’s a difference.)

As always, the rules for this exercise can be found here.

Let’s makes a list!

ALL TIME HOME GROWN METS TEAM

STARTING CATCHER
TODD HUNDLEY

He was a hard nosed fan favorite who never hit more than 16 homers a year… and then suddenly set the single season home run record for catchers with 41. Hmmmm. His name came up in the Mitchell Report (who knew?) but he was so popular in Queens that a lot of Met fans wanted him over Mike Piazza.





STARTING FIRST BASEMAN
ED KRANEPOOL

The youngest member of the original 1962 Met team (he was only 17!) Kranepool stuck around and was a steady if not spectacular player for the 1969 and 1973 Met teams. A native New York, he also did a series of strange commercials for Foamy shaving cream. Believe it or not, they are NOT available on Youtube.





STARTING SECOND BASEMAN
EDGARDO ALFONZO

About as popular a Met as I can remember… made the All Star Team as a second baseman and then moved to third base when Robbie Alomar came over. When the Mets let him go and he signed with the Giants, “Fonzie” bought as space on taxi cabs thanking New York fans for the love. I don’t think Bobby Bonilla did that.





STARTING SHORTSTOP
BUD HARRELSON

When I was a kid, I had a copy of the book “How To Play Better Baseball” supposedly written by Harrelson. I read it. It didn’t work. He did a little bit of everything for the Mets. He was a 2 time All Star shortstop, a coach, a manager and for about 3 minutes a broadcaster.




STARTING THIRD BASEMAN
DAVID WRIGHT

The Mets have a horrible history having stability at third base, but that is all probably over with Wright. Met fans hope he is their answer to Derek Jeter. It might be early to talk like that, but he’s been in the bigs for 4 ½ seasons and have put up MVP caliber numbers in each season. He’s already got multiple Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers. Put a ring on his finger and he might be the next New York baseball God. And he seems to be taking all the pressure in stride.



STARTING LEFT FIELDER
MOOKIE WILSON

His stats were never eye popping and the Mets ultimately sent him packing for Jeff Musselman… but is one of the most loved Mets of all time. I’m sure it had as much to do with his hustle, his positive attitude, the fact that he was a good guy in a club house filled with trouble makers and his dynamic speed as being the guy who hit the ball that trickled through Buckner’s legs.



STARTING CENTER FIELDER
LEE MAZZILLI

When the Yankees were winning World Series and had the complete attention of the city, the Mets needed some sort of attraction. If they called Central Casting, they couldn’t have found a better marquee player for late 1970s New York than Mazzilli. He was handsome, he could hit, he was a native New Yorker and had that cool “Travolta Italian” quality that was all the rage. Helped the Mets when he was dealt to the Rangers for Ron Darling. The Mets rewarded him by reacquiring him for the 1986 stretch run where he picked up a ring. He was so popular in Queens that Steinbrenner had to swipe him twice. First as a player (in exchange for Bucky Dent) and later as a coach.



STARTING RIGHT FIELDER
DARRYL STRAWBERRY

Could you imagine what this guy could have been if he didn’t derail his career? As it was, it was a pretty impressive career. 4 MVP caliber seasons and that devastating helicopter like swing! That shot off of Al Nipper in game 7 of the 1986 World Series hasn’t landed yet. Hopefully he saved some of the $30 million he made over his career.

\

TOP PINCH HITTER OFF OF THE BENCH
DAVE MAGADAN

Did you know Dave Magadan played for 16 years in the majors? I remember watching a game in 2001 and seeing Magadan coming up as a pinch hitter. I thought “Wait, is that the same guy who came up with the Mets?”

Yup. Lou Piniella’s nephew was about as dull and unmemorable a player as you will ever watch. But he was a reliable hitter, many times clearing .300. Would be a solid guy off the bench.




THE STARTING ROTATION


TOM SEAVER

How much did Tom Seaver mean to this team? How much is he revered by Met fans? My friend Doc Dougherty wrote a play that took place in his neighborhood in Queens the night Seaver was dealt to the Reds. One of the characters contemplates moving to Cincinnati to watch Seaver pitch. The most dominating pitcher of his era and he also received the highest voting percentage for the Hall of Fame up until that point. Seriously, who voted AGAINST him?




DWIGHT GOODEN

Seriously, don’t you wish you could back in time and confront Doc Gooden? Say “Hey, 3 years into your career and you already have a Rookie of the Year, a Cy Young and a World Series ring. All you have to do is not get hurt and not get hooked on Cocaine and you will be in the Hall of Fame and be worshipped as one of the great Gods in New York sports history.”

As it is now, he is a great story of redemption… but damn it he was going to be a GOD!

Stay off of the stuff folks.

NOLAN RYAN

Not a bad #3 starter, eh? I heard Tom Seaver on Dibble and Kennedy once talking about hearing that Ryan was traded. He evidently screamed “THEY DID WHAT?” He was dealt for Jim Fregosi, who was already a veteran manager when Ryan retired in 1993. The Mets have never had a no hitter in their history. It’s safe to say that would have been different if Ryan were allowed to stay!






JERRY KOOSMAN

No offense to Donn Clendenon, but how the hell was Jerry Koosman NOT the MVP of the 1969 World Series? Down 1 game to zero to the heavily favored Orioles, Koosman pitched 8 2/3 innings of 1 run ball in game 2 to tie the series… and then pitched a complete game victory to clinch the World Series in 5 games.

Also threw a complete game victory in game 3 of the 1973 NLCS and won game 5 of the 1973 World Series with 6 1/3 shut out innings.

The trade that sent him out of town worked out better for the Mets than the Seaver or Ryan trade. They acquired Jesse Orosco in the deal. In other words, the guy who threw the final pitch of the Mets first World Series title was dealt for the guy who would throw the final pitch of the Mets other World Series title.


JON MATLACK

A consistent winner for the Mets, Matlack was involved in that intensely confusing 4 team trade on December 8, 1977. Somehow Al Oliver ended up a Ranger, Bert Blyleven ended up a Pirate, Willie Montanez became a Met and a bunch of other people were pushed around and boom! Matlack is a Ranger. In less than 2 seasons, the Mets shed Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack. Not 100% what their plan was!



THE BULLPEN


TUG McGRAW

I had a fascination with bullpen closers as a kid and I used to imitate Tug McGraw winning the 1980 World Series often. Tug was everything you would want in a closer… ice water in the veins, clutch and possibly insane. Gave the 1973 Mets the “You Gotta Believe” rallying cry… and then clinched the pennant.


RANDY MYERS

His emergence in 1987 made Jesse Orosco instantly expendable. He had a strikeout to innings pitch ratio to make your mouth drool and created a formidable 1-2 punch with Roger McDowell in 1988. Met fans can only wonder how their fortunes would be different if Davey Johnson had him pitch to Mike Scoscia in the 9th inning of game 4 instead of keeping Gooden in there. Later was dealt for John Franco and was one of The Nasty Boys in Cincinnati.

ROGER McDOWELL

A classic screw loose relief pitcher, McDowell posted solid numbers all the while pulling practical jokes involving fire crackers and wearing his uniform upside down. Pitched a scoreless 7th inning to earn the win in game 7 of the 1986 World Series… a game most people forget happened. He did let up two critical home runs… one to Terry Pendleton late in 1987 which all but sunk their World Series defense. The other was Kirk Gibson’s 12th inning shot in game 4 of the 1988 NLCS that won that game. Was stupidly dealt in the Juan Samuel trade and the Mets missed his fun persona for years to come. Acted in a Seinfeld episode… which makes him cool.


JEFF REARDON

Yup, Reardon was a product of the Mets farm system. In fact he wasn’t even drafted out of U. Mass Amherst, but was given a shot with the Mets. He got some Rookie of the Year votes in 1980 setting up Neil Allen before being dealt to Montreal and starting a borderline Hall of Fame career and having a tragic downfall in his post baseball life.





NEIL ALLEN

Allen is on this list for three specific reasons:

1. He saved 22 games for a lousy Mets team.
2. The Mets traded him for Keith Hernandez
3. As a Yankee in 1988 was credited with throwing a shutout but not a complete game. He threw 9 innings of shutout relief on May 31st against the A's. I watched that game on TV... Al Leiter threw one pitch as a starter, made an error and was taken out of the game with an injury and Allen threw 9 shutout innings. The A's announcers wondered if he would get credit for the shutout, which he did. I have never seen that before or since. And seeing this is Sully Baseball, I felt he was deserved a tip of the hat for that game!

THE BENCH

RESERVE INFIELDER
JOSE REYES

Possibly the most polarizing figure in Mets history, some Met fans speak of him as a superstar to cheer… others scream about him not running out ground balls in key situations. You know a guy is a hot dog when he has to make an announcement that he is going to spend less time on dugout dances.






RESERVE INFIELDER
HUBIE BROOKS

There was a period of Mets history where they had a dynamic outfielder named Mookie and a rising star third baseman named Hubie. The Mets weren’t winning much, but they had Mookie and Hubie… so how bad could life be. Hubie was dealt off in the Gary Carter trade and was stuck in Montreal… a market that didn’t deserve a hard hitting, run producing infielder named Hubie.



RESERVE OUTFIELDER
CLEON JONES

An All Star in 1969 for the Miracle Mets, he also figured prominently in the deciding game 5. He was hit on the foot with a pitch… and thank goodness he was wearing shoe polish because the ump didn’t award him first until manager Gil Hodges pointed out the shoepolish on the ball. He would score on the Donn Clendenon homer to make it 3-2 Orioles. In the 9th, he caught the final out of the World Series. Not a bad day’s work in earning the love of a fan base.

RESERVE OUTFIELDER
LENNY DYKSTRA

I don’t know a single Met fan who doesn’t have a little bit of reverence for Lenny Dykstra. Hard nosed, arrogant and an annoying S.O.B. to the opposition, he seemed to run through walls while chewing tobacco and brawling. Plus the little twerp had some pop. Just ask Dave Smith, who let up his walk off shot in game 3 of the 1986 NLCS. Just ask Oil Can Boyd who served up his lead off homer in game 3 of the 1986 World Series and set the tone of the Mets blow out win. Was stupidly dealt with McDowell for Juan Samuel (and he mysteriously bulked up while in Philadelphia.) When the Mets made that move and took that grit and humor out of the locker room, the Mets didn’t recover for a decade.


RESERVE CATCHER
RON HODGES

A fixture on the Mets bench for a dozen seasons, Hodges was never a starter. But he had a decent on base percentage. He never made much of an impact on the field but must have been a good guy in the clubhouse. Why else would a .240 career hitter who never hit more than 5 homers in a season survive 12 seasons in the big leagues?




25TH MAN
ANTHONY YOUNG

I was in New York that summer of 1993… the Mets were the worst team that money can buy and no player showed the futility of that team than Poor Anthony Young. The poor guy just couldn’t win a game… literally. From May 6 1992 to July 24, 1993 he went 0-27.

But here’s the strange part… he didn’t pitch that badly. He would have a bad inning here or there but kept his ERA hovering respectfully around 4.00. Often it would dip below 4. And Dallas Green tried everything to get him a win. He’d bring him in from the pen in a tie game. He’d start him. And nothing would work. He saved a game on July 22… but that didn’t break the streak.

On July 28th against the Marlins a runner reached base on an error and scored on a 2 out bunt single by Chuckie Carr. Young was in line to drop to 28 losses in a row all the while lowering his ERA. But Eddie Murray hit a 2 out game winning double to give the win to Young.

Here’s the kicker… in a team full of underachieving veterans, surly millionaires, and fire cracker throwing, bleach spraying clubhouse cancers, Young was the most admirable player on the team. He lost but did so with dignity. He never shied from the press. Never blamed anyone else and had all of America wanting him to break the streak. He appeared on Jay Leno as a guest when the streak ended. The place gave him a rousing ovation. With the Mets uneven history, it’s good to have someone who loses with grace on board.



Well a solid team… not a whole lot of pop but a great starting rotation and a deep enough bullpen to withstand an evitable Anthony Young loss.

Now the Acquired Team right off of the bat provided me with a dilemma at catcher. I could chose a Hall of Famer who lead the charge to the World Series title… or I could chose the best offensive catcher in baseball history.

All I can say is Jerry Grote… you are S. O. L.



ALL TIME ACQUIRED METS TEAM


STARTING CATCHER
MIKE PIAZZA

With all due respect for Gary Carter, this HAS to be Mike Piazza’s spot! The guy should have been one of the great Dodgers of all time and his contract dispute and the bizarre trade to Florida was the Mets great fortune.

His high batting average and power numbers should speak for themselves. So should his ability to play hurt and literally bleed for the Mets.

But it was his intangibles that put him here too. He was the superstar face of the franchise as they competed for fans with the Yankees. Had a gigantic homer against John Smoltz in the 1999 NLCS and homered twice in the 2000 World Series against the Yankees.

But his game winning shot on September 21, 2001… just 10 days after the attacks gave New Yorkers their first reason to cheer and be happy in more than a week. Because of that he will always be in the pantheon of beloved New York sports stars.

Watch this clip from the brilliant Nine Innings From Ground Zero to see what I am talking about.

Also he was great on his Apprentice cameo.


STARTING FIRST BASEMAN
KEITH HERNANDEZ

Mex was the best defensive first baseman of his era… but that didn’t impress Elaine Benes.

Made the second out of the 10th inning of game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Like everyone else on the planet Earth he thought it was over. Oh well…





STARTING SECOND BASEMAN
FELIX MILLAN

Felix the Cat was a Gold Glove Shortstop who picked up some MVP votes for the 1973 NL champion Mets. His career ended when Ed Ott slid hard into them and they got into a brawl. If I did my homework here, it looks like his career ended with the injuries sustained in the fight.

But I’ll put him on here if for no other reason than to honor a player who keeps his hands that far up on the bat.




STARTING SHORTSTOP
RAFAEL SANTANA

A classic all field no hit shortstop, Santana never put up a single season of offensive numbers of note. But he could field his position well… and did so for the World Champion Mets. Not bad for a player cut by the Cardinals. (You can’t blame the Cardinals… Santana wasn’t about to replace Ozzie Smith!)





STARTING THIRD BASEMAN
RAY KNIGHT

Let me tell you my Ray Knight story. I was a guest on ESPN2’s show Cold Pizza where I was the lunatic Red Sox fan in residence. My segment was ending and Jay Crawford set up the next segment which involved Ray Knight and his wife, golfing great Nancy Lopez.

When Jay mentioned Ray, the MVP of the 1986 World Series… the guy whose two strike single prolonged that 10th inning, the guy who scored on the Buckner error, the guy who homered off of Schraldi to give the Mets the lead for good in game 7… Jay said “Sorry Paul.” He knew I was still smarting from that series. (It was 2004… the Curse was alive and well.)

When Jay said “Sorry Paul” Ray Knight smiled and on the air gave a little punch in the air motion… TOWARDS ME.

That wasn’t a generic “That’s right Red Sox fans, we won” moment. That was a specific gesture that said “Hey Paul Sullivan… the greatest moments of my professional career haunt you at night… AND I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER TO BE TORMENTING YOU… PAUL SULLIVAN!”

It was a strange moment.

STARTING LEFT FIELDER
KEVIN McREYNOLDS

McReynolds put up some nice power numbers when he was picked up from San Diego after the 1986 World Series. The Mets needed a good right handed power stick and the soft spoken McReynolds let his 20 some odd homers a year do the talking.

But he was never embraced by Mets fans. Best as I can figure it out, they saw McReynolds as the beginning of the break up of the raucous fun loving 1986 Mets. (Hell raiser but fan favorite and future NL MVP Kevin Mitchell was sent to San Diego in the deal.)

He gave them steady play and no headlines… an unforgivable crime for the Met fans of the 1980s!


STARTING CENTER FIELDER
CARLOS BELTRAN

Beltran hit 41 homers with 116 RBIs in 2006. He keeps putting up power numbers and driving in 110+ runs. He steals bases, wins Gold Glove awards, is named to the Silver Slugger Team every year and gets MVP votes.

If only he swung the bat in the 9th inning of game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. He might actually be loved by Met fans!



STARTING RIGHT FIELDER
RUSTY STAUB

Now we're talking a beloved player! In fact the only question is what fan base loved him more: The Mets or the Expos who hailed him as The Grand Orange! If the Mets won the 1973 World Series he would have been the MVP. He later came back to the Mets as an overweight pinch hitter.

My cousin Dave told me about a game in the 1980s where Staub had to play the outfield and the manager kept shifting him from left field to right field to avoid having the ball hit to him. Davey Johnson never played him once in the field in 1985. He missed being on a World Series winner by one year... but he later ran a cool restaurant in New York.

TOP PINCH HITTER OFF OF THE BENCH
DAVE KINGMAN

Is there a stranger career in baseball than Dave Kingman's? The guy could homer left and right and strike out every other time. Who else can lead the league in homers like he did in 1982 but have a lower average than the Cy Young Winner?

He hit 442 homers back when that meant something, but doesn't get even a courtesy mention for the Hall of Fame.

He had two stints with the Mets and had a 37 homer season in each tour of duty (at the time the Mets record.)

He hit 35 homers his final season with Oakland and never played in the bigs again.
Again, strange career.

THE STARTING ROTATION

RON DARLING

How many good looking Hawaii born Ivy Leaguers can also win 17 games and get the ball for game 7 of the World Series. Darling was stolen from the Rangers in the Lee Mazzilli trade and gave the Mets as great a #2 starter as you can find in the game. Finished with a 1.53 ERA in 17 2/3 innings for the 1986 World Series.

He never was spectacular. He just won and threw 200 some odd innings each year.




BOBBY OJEDA

There were many things about the 1986 World Series that make me grind my teeth.
High up there is the fact that Bobby Ojeda, a Red Sox pitching prospect who was on the verge of blossoming for what seemed like 15 years (actually it was only 6 seasons) was traded away to the Mets and suddenly became an 18 game winner.

Ojeda was traded for Wes Gardner and Calvin Schraldi.
Ojeda won game 3 of the 1986 World Series.
Schraldi lost games 6 and 7 of the 1986 World Series.

In other words that trade led directly to 3 of the Red Sox 4 losses.

Grinding my teeth.


AL LEITER

Al has done a little bit of everything in his career. He had played on two World Series winners (1993 Blue Jays and the 1997 Marlins) was an All Star and threw a no hitter before he arrived in Queens. He became a steady and reliable winner throwing a complete game shut out in the one game playoff against Cincinnati to win the 1999 Wild Card.

Yeah he talks too much and is an annoying broadcaster. That shouldn't diminish from a memorable if not great career. (Why did Valentine leave him in that long in game 5 of the 2000 World Series?)




DAVID CONE

I've heard some people erroneously list David Cone with the 1986 Mets pitching staff.
That's easy to do because he fit right in with the hell raising Met culture. His incident with a few young ladies in the Bullpen is one of those that makes you wish there was a security camera clip leaked onto Youtube.

He went 20-3 in 1988 and became a part time journalist with a Dodger bashing article in the Daily News.
Met fans loved him and were furious when he was dealt to the Blue Jays for Jeff Kent.
He won a Cy Young Award with the Royals and became a World Series hero with the Yankees... but he blossomed as a Met!





MIKE HAMPTON

Yeah I'm sure there are other more popular Mets to put here. I'm sure there are people who would think that Sid Fernandez should be here. And yeah I know he only spent one year as a Met and turned down their dough and gave a laughable reason for signing with the Rockies. (He did it for the school system? $10 million a year and you can't afford private school?)

But he also was the MVP of the 2000 NLCS.
He also threw a complete game shut out in the deciding game 5 of the 2000 NLCS.
When the Mets won the pennant, they all rushed the mound to pile on Hampton.

Folks, that should amount to some love!




THE BULLPEN


JESSE OROSCO

It's taken me a long time to look at that clip of Marty Barrett striking out to Jesse Orosco and not wince.
(For those of you who don't know... that's how the 1986 World Series ended... it didn't end with a ground ball through Buckner's legs!)

Orosco throwing that glove into the air...
The wild celebration...

I can't say it doesn't hurt anymore. But seeing my team win two World Series has made that clip more palatable.

Damn Orosco was good in his day... and he played for 24 seasons. Not too shabby at all.

By the way, in that game 7... not only did Orosco save the game... but he got an RBI single too.
Ooof.




JOHN FRANCO

For 14 seasons, John Franco was the fireman in Queens. He was a Met with Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden... He was a Met with David Wright and Jose Reyes. He saw the Mets crumble in the Bobby Bonilla/Bret Saberhagen years... he outlasted Bill Pulsipher, Paul Wilson and Jason Isringhausen... he was a teammate of Mike Piazza and played in the heart stopping 1999 NLCS. Nobody seemed more excited to part of the 2000 pennant clinching celebration. And the native Brooklynite seemed more crushed than anyone that the Mets couldn't deliver a division title for a post September 11th New York.

So why isn't he more loved by Met fans?
He seems destined to be part of the Mets TV network.



RON TAYLOR

One of the top relief specialists for the 1969 team, Taylor saved game 2 of the World Series making sure the Mets came to Queens tied 1-1. Pitched for a few more seasons after the 1969 World Series and then went back to his native Canada to become a doctor.

Folks, that is some versatility!





BILLY WAGNER

Oh I am sure some Met fans don't agree with this one.
He had a horrific 2006 NLCS, losing game 2 and giving the Cardinals some hope. And he blew a key game to the Phillies down the stretch in 2007. But his value was shown this year as the Mets collapsed when he went down for the season.

Plus his absence made the Mets overpay for Francisco Rodriguez and J. J. Putz. He must have had some value.





SKIP LOCKWOOD

Why is Skip Lockwood on this list?
Let me count the 4 reasons:

1. Jim Bouton had some nice things to say about him in Ball Four.

2. He saved 20 games for a HORRIBLE Mets team in 1977.

3. When he came over to the Red Sox, he lived in my home town of Weston. I would see him every once in a while in the center of town wearing a Mets jacket.

4. On principle, I can NOT put Armando Benitez on this list, despite the fact that Benitez is among the team leaders in saves and many relief categories. Benitez is a horrible reliever. If you don't believe me, ask any Mets fan... or Orioles fan... or Giants fan. Besides, I had to swallow my pride and honor him with the Marlins. Once is enough!




THE BENCH


RESERVE INFIELDER
ROBIN VENTURA

The one time Olympic star came to the Mets from the White Sox and provided great defense in one of the best defensive infields of all time.

He also had plenty of pop in his bat as shown by his walk off grand slam/single in game 5 of the 1999 NLCS. You would think that Todd Pratt, who had hit a game ending homer just a week before, would have known better than to prevent him from circling the bases!





RESERVE INFIELDER
HOWARD JOHNSON

Seriously, what were Mr. and Mrs. Johnson thinking when they named their kid Howard?
Who didn't chuckle when they first heard there was a dude actually named Howard Johnson playing ball?
What's next? Someone named Milton Bradley?

Either way, the guy without a position (is he a third baseman? Is he a short stop? Should they make room for Magadan, Elster and Jefferies?) gave the Mets switch hitting power and speed on the basepaths.

All the while playing with a silly name.



RESERVE OUTFIELDER
RICHIE ASHBURN

Why is Ashburn on this list? He only played one season with the Mets.

I’ll tell you why. Because I felt that a member of the 1962 Mets who finished 40-120 should be honored. Ashburn was the first ever Met All Star… an honor that probably hastened his retirement the next season.



RESERVE OUTFIELDER
TOMMIE AGEE

When I was a kid, one of the first videotapes we ever had was the 1980 HBO Special The First 25 Years of Sports Illustrated.
It was hosted by James Caan and while the whole show was great, I tended to fast forward to the baseball parts.

The biggest baseball highlights were the 1975 World Series (which I wore the tape out watching that), Hank Aaron's 715th home run (set to the bad ass "What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor" NFL Films music) and the 1969 World Series.

The part that I loved the most were the two catches by Tommie Agee. One he dives for and the other is a spectacular snow cone grab.

An 8 year old Paul Sullivan used to try and simulate that snow cone grab while playing catch with my dad.
I did it every once in a while. Never in a World Series situation.




RESERVE CATCHER
GARY CARTER

Gary Carter was a great player and a Hall of Famer.
I almost put him ahead of Mike Piazza as the starting catcher but changed my mind.

OK, got that out of the way.

Of all the members of the 1986 Mets he was the one I hated the most.
Why?

1) He hit those two homers in game 4 of the 1986 World Series that tied the series 2-2 and killed the Red Sox momentum.
2) He was nicknamed The Kid. That's horsesh--! TED WILLIAMS was the Kid!
3) He started the rally in the 10th...
4) His smile grated on me.

So yeah, on a team filled with drug addicts and brawlers, it was the Good Christian who drove me batty.




25TH MAN
DONN CLENDENON

There were many people up for 25th man but I felt like I couldn't omit the most valuable player of the 1969 World Series.
Clendenon refused to report to the Houston Astros in a trade from Montreal. It may have been bad sportsmanship, but it turned out well for the Mets when they sent future Red Sox non entity Steve Renko and others to the Expos for Clendenon.

He didn't play in the NLCS nor in all 5 World Series games. But hit key homers in games 4 and 5 to seal the World Series victory. The Mets cut him 2 years later... very sentimental team.


SO WHO WOULD WIN IN A HEAD TO HEAD SERIES?

The acquired team has more power, a deep pitching staff and a pair of World Series MVPs... but are you really going to bet against a starting staff that goes Seaver-Gooden-Ryan?

VERDICT: THE HOME GROWN METS WILL WIN... PROVIDED ANTHONY YOUNG STAYS IN THE PEN!

CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO THE HOME PAGE

Let's keep the ball rolling here (just not through Buckner's legs.)

That's the Mets
And the Rangers
And the Marlins
And the Yankees
And the Red Sox

25 to go

NEXT ALL TIME HOMEGROWN VERSUS ACQUIRED TEAM:
THE COLORADO ROCKIES