From today’s Post, Mike Vaccaro wrote:
There has been a growing groundswell around Mets backers to finally guilt the Mets into retiring No. 17. Something that should have been done 15 years ago to acknowledge Hernandez’s singular role in converting the laughingstock Mets into the 1986 champions — before it was handed to the likes of Jose Lima and Dae-Sung Koo, among too many others.
Fans of that era revere Hernandez. They wear T-shirts now begging for 17 to be put on the wall. And yet . . . nothing.
Like so many things in Flushing I think this is a no-brainer.
I worry that as time is marching on, Tom Seaver is just some old dude that the kids kind of vaguely know was good but don’t know much about him (I would fail your Whitey Ford quiz). Â To an increasing number of fans, Keith could become that announcer guy.
If you’re old enough, you know Keith was so much more to the Mets than his staff. Â His cigarette-smoking swagger, his on-field management, his punch-you-in-the-face mentality.
He was also named The Captain.
Seen any Mets captains lately?
Let me reason with the Wilpons a different way. Â Here are some other numbers. Â 33,000. Â 26,000. Â 4 and 7.
Schedule a Keith Hernandez Day and let your fans feel good. Â You’re very close to having a revolt on your hands, and a new stadium will not save you this time.
Mets, while you’re at it, schedule Banner Day as well.  I’ll get into that in the morning, unless I wake up and see the words Bob and Melvin in the news.  Oh, and Omar is going to decide tomorrow the Mets need more offense and they are calling up Ike Davis. Here’s why.
As for the fans? Â In Vaccaro we have someone in the mainstream to lead the good fight. Â If you’ve got a blog, spread the word. Â Twitter. Â I bet we can get Joe & Evan on this. Â If it takes peer pressuring the Mets, let’s do it.
Mike’s full article is here.
As much as I love Mex I can’t say that he tops my list of numbers to be retired. I understand the role he played in transforming the Mets, but I think we overstate it a little bit. He played only 4 full seasons (and parts of 3 others) in Flushing and was never the best player on any of those teams. He was undoubtedly a great hitter and an outstanding fielder…and I understand that the argument for him centers mostly on the intangibles he brought to the table. If they retire his number how do they not retire 8, 18 and 16? Gooden and Straw contributed more in terms of performance and for a longer period of time than Keith did…and we may even be able to throw Gary into that mix. I realize that Doc and Darryl’s time with the Mets ended in a much less dignified manner, but it is hard to argue with the impact they had on the team.
Ultimately, I think this argument is in vain. The Mets have shown that they aren’t up for retiring numbers unless the player makes the HOF.
If you want to retire 18 as well, I can understand that but 17 & 31 have to be up on the wall as well. However we all know none of these things happen until the Mets are embarrassed into…just like the stadium renovations.
Piazza will be a Hall of Famer…Carter already is one. Hernandez doesn’t have the same credentials as those two. I just don’t think Mex is first in line if we are going to start retiring numbers.
Ry, in terms of Mets history I feel Hernandez was more important than Carter or Piazza.
Not everyone whose number is retired has to be in the Hall of Fame (heck, the other team in NY practically retires your number if you successfully bunt a runner over to second). It’s more about what the player meant to the team, isn’t it? Keith Hernandez turned this franchise around, made it take itself seriously again, truly led the club in word and deed. How many times would you see him walk to the mound in a tight spot and not just offer empty words of encouragement but emphatically challenge the pitcher to get that guy out, or find him in the dugout talking to one player or another – pitcher or everyday player – about the game, a situation, an at-bat? He challenged this team to be better, and they listened. I consider him a leader in the way Gil Hodges was a leader, on the field and in the clubhouse (and to also argue time of service for number retirement, Hodges only managed for four years). It’s not just about numbers one puts on the board, or about being a Hall of Famer, it’s about what you did for your team; I think Hernandez was the heart and drive of the Mets during his time here, and his number should be on the wall, without question.