Now, an annual tradition…it’s the All-Irish Mets Team.
Why am I publishing this today? Because as an opportunistic blogger I know that with the off-day everyone will be bored and looking for stuff.
The rules? Be Irish or “close enough” to make the list.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Shea Stadium (and a big thanks to Bill Shea for giving us the gift of baseball) – lets welcome Bob Murphy to the microphone (Tim McCarver is up in the TV booth) to introduce the Irish Mets – a list of Mets who have at-least Irish-sounding names.
First let’s meet the pitchers:
Our starters: Nolan Ryan, Tim Leary, Terry Leach, Jim McAndrew and David Cone
The bullpen: Tug McGraw & Roger McDowell (we could add brief 2009 Met Darren O’Day)
Behind the plate: catcher Mike Fitzgerald with some help from Duffy Dyer.
Third base: He played 38 games there in 1990, please welcome back our old friend Tom O’Malley
Shortstop: Roy McMillan
Second base: Doug Flynn
First base: Playing out of position as usual, Daniel Murphy!
In left: Our former “we need a body” supersub Joe McEwing. (I wanted to nominate the big redhead Rusty Staub but was overruled by the Mets Police Emerald Society).
In Center: Kevin McReynolds (33 games there in 1991)
The Right Fielder: Dave Gallagher
Pete Flynn will take care of the grounds, and to manage this not-so-impressive lineup, I have no idea what his ethnicity is but both Terry and Collins are names found in Irish households, so please welcome number 10 – Terry “Colactus” Collins!
Who did I miss?
pioner of the hockey style catchers mask: CHARLIE O’BRIEN!!
oh that’s a good one – dang how did we miss Charlie
Keith Hernandez is part Irish so of course he’s the first baseman and Gary Carter’s Irish so he should be the catcher. I think Ray Knight’s Irish too.
Seaver’s Irish too.
Is Tom? I would hope he is – but nobody brought that up in the first few years of this post. Would love him to be….that makes the team better.
Didn’t know about Hernandez either
i can still here jane jarvis “the queen of melody” playing this one particular irish tune when tug would come in from the bull pen at shea.
I think we could also (begrudgingly) add:
— Greg McMichael to the bullpen.
— Brian McRae to the outfield (heck, the name is Irish).
— Cory Sullivan to the bench.
Hernandez is part Irish, Scottish and Latino.