Category: mets

I was down at the Daytona 500 all weekend, so thanks to fellow Mets Policeman “Cyclones Fan” for minding the store.

Did Jerry really say he wants to bat OverReyes third?  Jerry that’s the kind of thing that will get me back on the Lee Mazzilli for manager kick.

Anyways as I catch up on all thing Mets, my “Tom Seaver” google tracker caught this one.  I know links are lame but I bet most of you didn’t read the Seattle Times  over the weekend.

When Tom Seaver returned to the Mets in December 1982, he was treated like returning royalty.

Yet Seaver, acquired in a trade for three players, was coming off a dismal season for the Reds in which he had gone 5-13 with a 5.50 earned-run average.

No one knew quite what the Mets were getting — the greatest player in club history, or a vague facsimile.

“I don’t know what the public will remember or expect,” Seaver said at a crowded news conference at Shea Stadium. “I’m not going to go out next season with a sign saying, ‘It’s 1983 and I’m 38 years old.’ “

“When I pitch, I still have to get Pete Rose and Mike Schmidt out. … They want me to come back here and be Tom Seaver.”

Full story here.  It’s an article about Griffey Junior returning home to Seattle…and brings up these not so great comebacks…remember these?

Other major stars who returned to their initial team for one last fling, albeit with less panache than the Babe, included Tony Perez and Pete Rose to the Reds (1984 for both, a dalliance that would not end well for Rose, brought in to be a player-manager with an unanticipated sidelight as a gambler); Reggie Jackson to the A’s (1987); Phil Niekro to the Braves (for one ceremonial start in 1987); Don Sutton to the Dodgers (1988); Gary Carter to the Expos (1992); Eddie Murray to the Orioles (1996, for a stint that included his 500th home run); Rickey Henderson to the A’s (the last time in 1998); and Tom Glavine to the Braves (2008).

Man that 1983 return was awesome.  Doesn’t the SI cover just warm your heart?  If only it had lasted.   Imagine Tom on that 1984 team (my favorite Mets team of all time) – or would that have meant Gooden wouldn’t have made the team….and in retrospect maybe not hitting fame and fortune at 19 might have led a more mature Dwight Gooden not to let his demons get to him?

www.metspolice.com

I’m sure I’m a day behind the other 10,000 Mets blogs (I was down at the Daytona 500) but I’m not going to pass up a chance to link to a Joel Youngblood article from the great “Where are they now?” series in the News.

If you’re old enough you remember the day Joel played for the Mets and the Phillies.  If you’re one of these 20-somethings who aren’t old enough to remember the Mets winning a World Series, then you have no idea who Joel is.  Youngblood was an OK outfielder – really a 4th OFer type although he rang up some starts on some awful Mets teams – and even was the Mets All-Star one year.

You think the Yankees are annoying now?  Try being 12ish years old and every year the AL All Stars are half the Yankees and your team just has one guy (usually Mazzilli of course) and even the one guy doesn’t start, maybe he gets in in the 8th inning, and you are 12 and half asleep.

Joel’s the kind of player the 2007 and 2008 Mets could have used.  Scrappy and serviceable.

Here’s the article:  Youngblood link

www.metspolice.com

I was Clark Kent at Daytona all weekend but had my eyes open looking for Mets fans.

In a sea of sponsor logos so far this was the only Mets fan I have spotted (look closely at the yellow bag).

You have to understand Nascar – you don’t wear the “jersey” of your favorite driver, you wear something related to his car.  Since his car is sponsored, you wear a sponsor logo.

It’s very common to see someone wearing a Cheerios jacket or an M&M’s jacket.

One of the most popular drivers is Dale Earnhardt Junior.  Junior used to drive the #8 Budweiser car – so you saw a ton of (actually nice looking) red Bud jackets.   Now that Junior drives fro Amp’d, you see a ton of ugly green jackets.

So in a sea of sports attire, where nobody is afraid to walk around in an Aflac jacket, I only found one Mets logo.  Not a single Met hat.   I guess nobody from Flushing likes NASCAR, except of course for me.

Sent from my iPhone

Passing along this information.

Mets launch Online Ticket Registration for Opening Day at Citi Field Tomorrow, February 17 at 10 A.M on Mets.Com and Losmets.Com

FLUSHING, N.Y., February 16, 2009 – The New York Mets today announced the launch of an online registration for the opportunity to purchase tickets for the inaugural Opening Day at Citi Field, starting tomorrow, February 17 at 10 a.m. at Mets.com and LosMets.com. The registration for the online random drawing will run through Tuesday, February 24. The Mets open their 2009 home season Monday, April 13 against the San Diego Padres at 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field.

April 13th – where the average low in Central Park is 44 degrees.

www.metspolice.com

No activity at the site on Sunday, but still walked around and took a few pictures.

This week I’ve been seeing a lot of people coming out to say good-bye to Shea. I’ve had some great conversations with a variety of people and their memories of Shea – not just Mets games but concerts, Jets, and the Pope.

Enjoy the pictures.

Feb 15 Feb 14, 2009 by Mets View Album Play slideshow

www.metspolice.com