I saved this one for the off-season…wow it’s the off-season…but @Bklyn_City suggested I use this article in the Times as a jump off point for a topic.
It seems many stadiums have statue technology.
What would you want outside Citi? Seaver? The Piazza Home Run pose? Orosco? Mookie busting it down to first?
None of the above. Statues should be for legends, and I have a problem with the whole “living legend” concept.
If we must have statues, give me Casey Stengel & Gil Hodges (in Mets uniforms, of course).
I’m actually fine with the way the stadium looks now.
I like Paul’s suggestion of Gil Hodges.
The World Series Trophy. Because that is the only way we are ever going to get close to it again!
While I get what Paul is saying I wouldn’t have a problem with statues that honor “moments” more than the players themselves. Personally I’d like Cleon taking a knee as he catches the last out in 69 and Orosco’s glove throw in 86. Piazza homer would be ok as well. Not so much for Piazza but for the moment and what it meant to some people.
I also would like a Kiner, Nelson, Murphy trio statue somewhere inside the park. Let’s do it while Ralph is still with us.
why not honor players that meant something to the team??? that’s what a lot of other clubs have done..definatly Seaver Statue as the greatest met ever..Hodges should have one..Stengal? Maybe…i think longevity is crucial also..joining a team for a few years and having a good record should not automatically earn a statue (piazza)..
how about a generic mets fan statue representing all the loyal and diehard mets who have suffered with this team. the statue can represent all the great fans who have moved on….along with the great shea stadium!!!
Gil Hodges and/or Tom Seaver for starters. Then a Piazza HR swing pose or something else from ’86. Even a Tug from ’73 would be nice.
I think the Mets should have a statue of Keith Hernandez!! He brought the 83 Mets out of the basment into contenders until the early 90’s (i know he retired as a Met in ’89)
statues are just as important for people who are still alive.
seaver pitching from the stretch would be nice.
gil hodges on one knee with his arm crossed over the other would be excellent.i have a pic of gil in that pose and he looked like a leader worthy of a statue.
mookie running down the base or jesse throwing his glove up in the air,sounds more like a mini mets statue give-a-way.
casey stengel doffing his cap to the crowd would be excellent as well.
How about a statue to the “Wild Dogs” and don’t forget to have a fire hydrant also!
How about Seaver with his armed cocked back, just before it starts to come towards the plate. The “41” fully visible from the first base side. The left leg landed and the right leg propelling him forward. You could just feel the explosion about to happen.
Thanks Randy … the only people i think of being “statue worthy” are Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner.
I like a Gil Hodges or Seaver statue.
I think a tribute area to Kiner and Murph is wonderful, No statue, if we must..Seaver. Yankees have too many greats for statues out front, we dont have any. Piazza’s stats were better as a Dodger, definitely not him, he was a Met for 7.5 years, he made his mark elsewhere.
My rule is that statues should only be of dead people. Any team that puts up statues of the living is doing it wrong.
Casey did nothing for the team, I have no clue why his # is retired.
So that leaves Gil Hodges for the foreseeable future.
1. Cleon Jones taking a knee with the final out of the ’69 world series in his glove.
2. Jesse Orosco on his knees flinging his glove in the air after recording the final out of the ’86 series.
Make them somewhat moveable because I’m holding out hope that they will need to make room for a third statue someday.
This is simple
Gil Hodges
Seaver pitching with his right knee dragging in the dirt
Clean Jones clutching the final out of the 69 series
Orozco on his knees from the Daily news cover in 86.
Piazza’s home run pose from Sept ’01
And the original broadcast team of Kiner, Murphy and Nelson.
Gil, Gil and Gil. The only one that should be considered right now, and fast. Besides, he was a Brooklyn Dodger, and since Freddie Coupons still controls the ballclub it may be the only tribute to an ex-Dodger that doesn’t get immediately panned.
Murph, Nelson and Kiner would be great, too. Like the Harry Caray statue at Wrigley.
Then, See-vuh. Overhand throw, knee touching the mound from 1969.
That’s about it. No memorials to ‘roid acne catchers or first basemen who liked the white lines from Peru.
We know the Bernie Madoff memorial is out at the present time, though as all visitors to Debits know – You want to see his memorial – take a look around you.
You can be alive and have a statue…Hank Aaron and Phil Niekro have them to name two. We know Seaver will have one, so give it to him while he’s here. Gil should have one. I don’t see a compelling need for anyone else to have one, as they have really nice plaques in the Mets HOF. It’s hard for me to picture a Met who will ever eclipse Seaver…they will need to play mostly for the Mets, be a Hall of Famer and win a championship. If anyone else is to get one, it will have to be Piazza.
In the parking lots, in the exact spot, a statue of Cleon Jones making last out of 69 WS. And then Orosco statue with his arms up in parking lot right by pitching rubber making last out of 86 WS.
Also a Seaver statue should be near front of stadium.
That’s a novel idea…here is the Cleon statue
http://www.americanmemorabilia.com/pics/51363_01_lg.jpg
It would represent the WS win…remember Cleon left the Mets in a bit of scandal though.
To me you got to have a statue of Gil and also Casey. Of course there should be one of Tom terrific. And just as a note I always believed that Joan Peyson should have at least a plaque or something. She was the 1st owner and as important to the Mets existance as Bill Shea was. Just throwin it out there.