I often start the first post of the day with “Good Morning!” but there’s nothing good about our first morning without Gary Carter.
I thought the blog would be all Carter for a few days but the Mets being the Mets there’s always things to talk about. Thus, Mets Police will be mostly Carter with a few other things sprinkled in, and some of the other things I wanted to share with you can wait until next week.
The passing of Gary re-ignited the debate about retiring 8. I think that would be a terrible move now. The Mets had 20 years to retire it, so why retire it now when Gary can’t be there? Let 8 stay on the hanger next to 24, and if somewhere along the way the right player can live up to the number then let 8 be worn with pride.
I do expect the Mets will wear a patch. Since the black jerseys have a patch on both shoulders it complicates matters. I could imagine something in the area of the heart. Maybe its as simple as a black armband.
I broke out a black Mets jersey today (New York road) I got on eBay. The only 86 style jersey I have says Seaver on it, and black is the color folks wear when we mourn. I don’t wear bright orange ties to funerals.
This post started out to 100% be about something else, but I see I just ripped off 5 paragraphs about Carter. I’ll do the other thing in the next post. More Carter as the day and weekend go on.
I disagree. he would hate us morning instead of looking back at great 57 years. He lived in the moment. Never said why me. He brought out the best in a sad situation. He was a mench. So it is a good moment. He is out of his internal pain. He left us with great memories. RIP Gary Kid Carter.
i think retiring the number was long over due . Before they retire Piazza another great guy who came here and turned our misfortunes around. The Expos moved so 8 retire is sort of in limbo i do not think the Nationals keep 8 retired . So retiring his number now is something the Mets can do in his honor . Building a statue at Citifield with Carter would also be a great idea celebrate his life
I would have been nice if #8 was retired last year in a dual ceremony, with Gary Carter and Yogi Berra, the two best modern-era catchers to wear the number in NYC. But like everything else the Wilpons have done in the past 5 years, the moment has passed and it’s time to move on. An idea tossed about by Newsday’s David Lennon is to have a simple patch with “KID” in the center. #8 does really belong to Berra. It’s THE New York catcher’s number, with #15 [Grote and Munson] right behind.
good point about 15. I think right now retiring 8 would be a reactionary gesture. They had 20 years.