" THE DREAM HAS COME TRUE !!!!"
Through the years the Mets have almost always had good – if not great closers. You had Tug McGraw from the late ’60s to early ’70′s. Then Skip Lockwood would take over until the end of the me decade. He would be supplanted by the tandem of Allan and Reardon. We had Franco fending games for the better part of the decade until Armando Benitez, the man who would be lights out for 99.9 percent of the season – until a crucial game which in that case he would crack under pressure. He would be replaced by Braden Looper for one forgettable season, only to be replaced By Billy Wagner whose mouth showed more life at times than his fastball. He would be replaced by ” The Fighting Venezuelan” Frankie Rodriguez, who probably anchor the bullpen until after the ’12 season.
I know what you are thinking , that I forgot some one ! Some reliever whose outstretched arms after the last out of the ’86 World Series is ingrained into the minds of us Mets faithful. Yes coming in at number 27 on the countdown is none other than Jesse Orosco !!!
Jesse was born in Santa Barbara California on April 21, 1957. When Jesse was 21 , he was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 1978 Major League Baseball Draft. In 1979 Jesse would be traded to the Mets as the player to be named later in the deal that sent Mets fan favorite , Jerry Koosman to the Twins.
Jesse made his Major League debut in April of ’79, as a starter . He was hit hard and was sent to the minor for more seasoning. He would not appear in another Mets game until 1981, after being converted into a reliever. After the trade of Mets closer, Neil Allen , Jesse assumed the closers position.He would end the ’83 season with a record of 13-7, 17 saves and a ERA of 1.47 in 62 games on a poor Mets team. He even made his first all Star team that year, and finished third in the National League Cy Young vote.
In 1984 , Jesse would save 31 games. That was good enough for 3rd best in the National League. He was elected to his second straight All Star team that season.
Things would change in ’85 though. Yes Jesse was still the primary closer for the Mets, but then manager Davey Johnson started to platoon him with right handed rookie reliever, Roger McDowell. That gave the Mets a potent tandem of closers that every team in the National League were afraid to face.
Orosco’s most memorable moments for the Mets definitely came when he saved game six of the ’86 NLCS when he struck out Billy Hatcher to clinch the playoffs , and when he struck out the Red Sox, Marty Barrett to end game 7 of the World Series , which earned him his first World Series ring.
In 1988, Jesse would be traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers where he would earn his second World Series ring. He would only spend one season with the Dodgers before signing with the Cleveland Indians for which he spent three seasons with. Jesse would bounce around the game for the next few seasons, And in 1999 the Mets reacquired him when they traded reliever, Chuck McElroy to the Orioles for Jesse. Jesse would never pitch fo the Mets in the ’00 season , because that March – three months after his New York City reunion, he was traded to the St Louis Cardinals for utility man, Joe McEwing.
Jesse would retire before the start of the ’04 season. At the time of his retirement, Jesse was the last active MLB player from the 1970s. Jesse retired as the all-time record holder for games by a pitcher with 1252. Since his retirement, Jesse has been a fixture at Mets reunions, especially the Shea Stadium closing ceremonies in ’08.
In his eight year career with the Mets , Jesse accumulated a record of 47-47 with 107 saves and a ERA of 2.73 .
Tomorrow we shall reveal the 26th player on this list of the top 50. He was a fixture with the Mets for the better part of a decade.
And with that said…. HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!
Mets spot starter/middle reliever from the ‘inaugural 62 team, Sherman Jones would have been 76 today (1935) .
Mets alumni celebrating birthdays today include :
One of the best offensive and defensive outfielders in Mets history, Lenny Dykstra is 48 (1963) . He was brash, he was funny , he was mental and we loved him. It is a shame that he got himself way over his head with his dealings with the stock market. I wish him the best and hope he can get his life back on track.
Mets back up catcher from ’95-’98, Alberto Castillo is 41 (1970) .
Underrated pitcher from the mid ’90′s to the ’00 season, Bobby “Righty” Jones is 41 today (1970) . His definitive Mets moment came during the ’00 NKDS when he one hit the St Louis Cardinals to help the Mets advance to the National League Championship Series.
:
The New York Mets purchased relief pitcher, Ron Taylor from the Houston Astros on February 10, 1967. After his playing days were over he went back to college and became a doctor. He most recently was the team physician for the Toronto Blue Jays.
New York Mets traded catcher, Alex Trevino along with pitchers Greg Harris and Jim Kern to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder, George Foster on February 10, 1982. At first this deal seemed to be a no brainer, but Foster would sign a five year ten million dollar deal ( big money for back then) . He would put up decent power numbers but his less than energetic patrolling of the outfield coupled with his seemingly bad attitude made him extremely unpopular by Mets fans everywhere.
The New York Mets signed faded free agent third baseman / outfielder, Howard Johnson on February 10, 1997. This was a comeback attempt with the team HoJo made his bones with. Sadly he had very little left in the tank and retired a month later.
The Arizona Diamondbacks signed middle reliever, Felix Heredia of the New York Mets as a free agent on February 10, 2006. The Mets obtained him the previous season for rubber armed reliever, Mike Stanton. Heredia would pitch in two games for the Mets in the ’05 season and had a ERA of 0.00. After a week and a half on the team he was never seen in a Mets uniform again.
And while you wish that spring training games would start already, just remember that there are just 50 Sid Fernandez days until the Mets open their 2011 season against the Florida Marlins in Miami, and only 57 more days to go until the Mets 2011 home opener against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field.
Mo Vaughn is wondering why Martin Luther King Jr the Third hasn’t called him to be part of the consortium to buy the Mets !!!
29 comments
stickguy
2/10/2011-10:06am at 10:06 am (UTC -4)
certainly the definition of a rubber arm. and yet one more example of a failed starter making a good reliever!
hey, a closer platoon. think Frankie would like having one of those this year?
Ceetar
2/10/2011-10:17am at 10:17 am (UTC -4)
He’s too good to warrant one.
stickguy
2/10/2011-10:46am at 10:46 am (UTC -4)
he does need to get spotted a bit more though. For someone who whines when he doesn’t get enough work, he does not seem to pitch well after going a few days in a row.
Ceetar
2/10/2011-10:53am at 10:53 am (UTC -4)
Doesn’t he? I don’t remember the numbers. I do seem to recall he does work well getting into games regularly though. Maybe not 5 games in a row with a 3inning stint in the middle. maybe not getting up a billion times and not getting into games? *shrug*
stickguy
2/10/2011-11:06am at 11:06 am (UTC -4)
Just skip the get work games. If he insists on being a save guy, no save op means he sits on his ass. If he needs work, get up and throw in the BP. that way if he is needed in real games a few days in a row, he hasn’t shot the load in mop up duty. that is when the scrubs are supposed to get some work!
metsfan4decades
2/10/2011-2:53pm at 2:53 pm (UTC -4)
You know….last year when he was complaining about not getting enough work I kept thinking to myself ‘so what if we bring him in for a game or two in a row to get a couple of batters out, and it turns into a 6 batter marathon (as sometimes Frankie does) AND we need his legitimate closer arm for 3 games after that?
It could very easily go from under worked to overworked in a hurry. Maybe to the point of not being able to use him in a game where we need our closer.
I’d like to know how the closer on the Pirates or maybe Royals (no offense) – who don’t win that many games so obviously don’t need a closer that often – deals with ‘not getting enough work in’?
Gracelynn
2/14/2012-1:42pm at 1:42 pm (UTC -4)
This is just the perfect answer for all forum mbmeres
TRS86
2/10/2011-10:10am at 10:10 am (UTC -4)
Had him for sure on my list as well. Not sure where I would have placed him.
metsfan4decades
2/10/2011-10:22am at 10:22 am (UTC -4)
We’re now down to the players who I’m assuming were on everyone’s list.
Jesse certainly qualifies. Yet again another piece of that ’86 puzzle that without, who knows if they go all the way?
Just goes to show you even as a good closer you don’t often stick with one team. Take Wagner for instance. I think he’s #5 right now on the all time save list. Outside of Mariano, I guess all BP arms can expect to bounce around the league their whole career.
metsfan4decades
2/10/2011-10:26am at 10:26 am (UTC -4)
On another note I see Mets Fans Forever is standing by their original post of that group buying out the Wilpons:
‘Although there hasn’t been action on my most recent and attention getting post, I still have faith that what I posted will happen. Over the past couple days, I have only grown more confident. I also thought that the group of people I stated coming together to make an offer to the Wilpons were crazy, but it is exactly what I hear.
From what I can gather, everything is still on track and we should hear about it sooner than later.’
***********
(From What I Can Gather? Hmmm….)
stickguy
2/10/2011-10:45am at 10:45 am (UTC -4)
and maybe it will. I don’t actually take the denials to mean all that much, since that is SOP in a case like this.
and if not them, some group (maybe a version of the MLK/Kranepool one) is going to make the offer, trying to put the pressure on.
I wonder how badly the younger generations (that Fred is trying to save the team for) really want it? Jeffy seems to enjoy having a job he is unqualified for, but very often the “kids” are much more interested in money than the old guys business.
If I was Fred, I would sell everything and move to an island paradise, and tell the kids to make their own success in life!
metsfan4decades
2/10/2011-11:02am at 11:02 am (UTC -4)
I don’t know about Jeff because he’s never said one way or another that I know of but it sounds like Fred lives and dies with the team along with us. As a fan AND the owner, probably hard to give up that ghost. But if it all gets to look impossible to dig out of, I can only assume he probably will come to the conclusion at some point he has to sell.
Sometimes, situations just wear you down and after a time you do change your mind from what you thought initially.
stickguy
2/10/2011-11:09am at 11:09 am (UTC -4)
well, if it comes down to leaving the team to a younger generation, vs. keeping his big house on the sound and fancy place in Florida, Fred will finally say screw the kids!
the real irony will be if he practically kills the franchise to hang onto it, cuts all kinds of other (sterling) financial corners with who knows what ramifications to others, and a few years down the road when he kicks the bucket, the kids immediately put the team up for sale to get party money!
ajgmets
2/10/2011-1:41pm at 1:41 pm (UTC -4)
Orosco, though not a celebrated closer at the time has been proven over the course of recent history to be as solid as any who served in the same role during his career. The tandem of Jesse and Roger McDowell was as formidable as any as the Mets bullpen backend was as effective or better than the far more documented starting staff from about 1985 thru 1989. …giving these compliments is starting to hurt, Nice job again Eddie Boy..and dang,, Nice Spell/Grammar check..LOL.
rustyjr
2/10/2011-2:06pm at 2:06 pm (UTC -4)
I was at a mets sponsored blogger meet up @ citi and I didn’t get home til 11 write yesterday’s piece at 4 am so sue me lol
metsfan4decades
2/10/2011-2:49pm at 2:49 pm (UTC -4)
Nice….any tidbits from that blogger meet up?
rustyjr
2/10/2011-3:07pm at 3:07 pm (UTC -4)
Sorry can’t say
Prismo
2/10/2011-3:12pm at 3:12 pm (UTC -4)
It’s Top Secret, Level 4 classified information. Only POTUS and three of his most trusted underlings (one being Ed) have access to the 34-stories below ground facility containing the data drive with this information.
Sorry.
metsfan4decades
2/10/2011-3:51pm at 3:51 pm (UTC -4)
What? I feel like there is a joke that went right over my head. – LOL
But I’ll take your word for it!
ajgmets
2/10/2011-4:32pm at 4:32 pm (UTC -4)
I heard it’s like Disney World with a mirror image below ground with tunnels and a “cloning” booth ..Suddenly Ollie’s twin emerges..LOL ..Keep Ed away , We know how he loves himself and would want several..
Ceetar
2/10/2011-4:02pm at 4:02 pm (UTC -4)
tidbits? no, I had some pasta and a beer.
Also, I’m the youngest of the bunch.
Ceetar
2/10/2011-4:03pm at 4:03 pm (UTC -4)
Additionally, it freaking cold out there. I was gonna circle the park and take some snowy pictures (lot’s not ploweD) but got as far as the Apple and then gave up.
rustyjr
2/10/2011-4:16pm at 4:16 pm (UTC -4)
I did offer to start up my car so we could stay warm lol
Ceetar
2/10/2011-4:20pm at 4:20 pm (UTC -4)
I think we shoudl send a nasty letter to McFadden’s for not being open.
njstuckintx
2/10/2011-7:38pm at 7:38 pm (UTC -4)
When you look at that 86 team, it was full of platooners. 2B, SS a little, CF, 3B, Closer… Even LF too.
njstuckintx
2/10/2011-9:14pm at 9:14 pm (UTC -4)
I’ve been out in Seattle all week. This town is flippin sweet.
stickguy
2/10/2011-10:34pm at 10:34 pm (UTC -4)
you should see it in the summer. Won’t remind you of Houston!
njstuckintx
2/10/2011-11:19pm at 11:19 pm (UTC -4)
Hopefully I can make it NJstuckinWA or NJstuckinSEA down the line. This is one cool town, minus the bums and lack of orange and blue.
stickguy
2/10/2011-11:25pm at 11:25 pm (UTC -4)
I have never been there, but Kingman is very fond of the place.