It’s time for another one of our almost annual traditions – the All-Irish Mets Team.
The rules? Be Irish….or “close enough” that we can include you (you’ll see what I mean soon enough). No birth certificates will be checked.
And it is a Happy St. Patrick’s Day from William A. 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, or have some Irish in their heritage.
Introducing the pitchers:
Our starters: Nolan Ryan, Tim Leary, Terry Leach, Jim McAndrew, and David Cone. (Half-Irish Matt Harvey has a photo shoot and is unable to join us today.)
The bullpen: Colin McHugh, Tim Burke, Greg McMichael, Chuck McElroy, Tug McGraw & Roger McDowell
Behind the plate: Mike Fitzgerald, Todd Hundley, Duffy Dyer and of course Charlie O’Brien
Third base: Daniel Murphy gets moved over to cover.
Shortstop: Roy McMillan
Second base: Doug Flynn
First base: he is part-Irish on his mother’s side, The Captain, Keith Hernandez
In left: Kevin McReynolds
In Center: Brian McRae
And the Right Fielder: Dave Gallagher
We have room for four players in the bench: Super-sub Joe McEwing, Justin Turner (with that hair I am assuming he is Irish), Jeff McKnight, andTom O’Malley
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, along with his bench coach Regis Philbin.
There were several others who didn’t have enough games to make the cut (O’Malley has the fewest total at 91, Erik O’Flaherty from 2015).
Every year I miss somebody, let me know who.
