" The Doctor is in at number 3 !!!"
So here we stand just three players left that us fans consider the creme de la creme of Mets history. When you look at the past 47 men who have graced this list, you will mainly find men who had mediocre to decent careers. But in one way or another they have ingratiated themselves to us fans by either displaying once in a lifetime career moments, such as a Dave Kingman mammoth game winning homer, or a Al Leiter complete game one hitter, these men will forever be Mets in our collective psyche. The man who you voted in at number three on this countdown falls into the same category as number four on the countdown – what could have and should have been player. He burst onto the scene as a rookie who most of us never heard of before that Spring training, and yet he was our touchstone on the mound for the better part of a decade. Yes folks number three is none other than Dwight ” Doc” Gooden.
Dwight Eugene Gooden was born in Tampa Florida on November 16, 1964. After graduating high school in 1982, Dwight was selected as the Mets first round pick ( fifth player overall) in that years Major League Baseball amateur draft. Dwight would spend only two seasons in the Mets minor league farm system, dominating on every level he was assigned. In 1983 he led their double A affiliate, The Lynchburgh Mets with 300 strikeouts in 191 innings. Later that season he would be promoted to the Mets triple A team in Tidewater , where he would be managed by his future Mets Manager, Davey Johnson. Davey fell in love with Dwights fastball. When Johnson was named the Mets manager just before the ’84 season, he lobbied hard for Dwight to make the team out of Spring training.
Davey got his wish and Dwight made his major league debut on April 7, 1984. Dwight was a little known 19 year old, but he turned heads in his first start when he unleashed a barrage of 98 mile per hour fastballs , augmented with a nasty curve ball. Dwight had brought life back to a franchise that had toiled in the abyss of irrelevance. The Mets fans who endured through that long slumber embraced Dwight immediately. He was considered the second coming of Tom Seaver- a man who would help bring the franchise back to the forefront of New York Sports. Games would sell out on the days that he pitched, and he was nicknamed ” Dr. K” by an adoring fan base for his penchant for striking out the toughest of hitters with the accuracy of a surgeon. In the left field corner of the mezzanine section of Shea Stadium , a group of fans would commandeer the section and instituted the aptly named K -Korner, hanging cardboard K’s every time the doctor dispatched a hitter via strikeout.
At the age of 19 , Dwight became the youngest player to ever participate in a All Star Game. He was brought in during the fifth inning and proceeded to strike out the side which consisted of three of the American League’s most feared hitters which included Tigers catcher, Lance Parrish, White Sox outfielder, Chet Lemon, as well as Alvin Davis.
Gooden finished the season with a record of 17-9 with a ERA of 2.60. He led the league with 276 strike outs ( which is still a record for a rookie season) . He was just the fourth Met ( and still the last) to win the National League Rookie of the Year award ( Tom Seaver, John Matlack and Darryl Strawberry are the other three) . The Mets won 90 games that season finishing second to the Chicago Cubs in the N.L East, but they were number one in the hearts of the New York fans.
1985 was no doubt the best season in Dwight’s career. he dominated the National League by going an amazing 24-4 with a minuscule ERA of 1.53 ( the lowest since Bob Gibson had a 1.12 in 1968!). Throw in the fact that the Doctor struck out 268 batters and won the pitching Triple Crown. But even with his monster season, the Mets still finished in second place to their newly christened arch rivals – the St Louis Cardinals. The Cards and Mets were locked in a dogfight that entire season, and when the smoke cleared the Cards won 101 games to the Mets 98. That off season, Dwight became the youngest player ever to win the Cy Young Award. I remember as a teenager seeing that giant mural of him when I would take the bus in from Vernon New Jersey into the Port Authority Bus Terminal when I came in to visit my mother ( happy birthday mom !!). It was a larger than life fresco of a man who seemed to be a giant among other Major League pitchers.
In 1986, as Bob Murphy once said ” The Dream Has Come True !!” That year Dwight was very good, but not as dominant as the previous season. The Doctor would go 17–6 with a ERA of 2.84 with 200 strikeouts. He was still a feared pitcher, but the fact that the front office tried to steer him away from being a power pitcher to a player who relied more on his breaking pitches baffled many Mets fans. Dwight was voted to his third straight All Star Team that season, and was given the honor of starting. At 21, Dwight was the youngest pitcher to ever receive that honor.
Gooden was lights out during the ’86 NLCS. He lost a 1-0 pitchers duel against Mike Scott of the Houston Astros due to a error by second baseman, Tim Teufel. In game five he was embroiled in a pitchers duel with one time Mets pitching icon, Nolan Ryan. Dwight pitched 10 innings of 1-run ball in a game the Mets eventually won. The Mets ended up beating the Astros in six games, which advanced them into the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. Dwight pitched horribly during the World Series. He did not get past the fifth inning is his two World Series starts.
After the Mets won the World Series in 7 games. The next day , Dwight was AWOL for the ticker tape parade down the famous” Canyon of Heroes”. He blamed it on oversleeping. During Spring training of 1987, Dwight tested positive for cocaine. He was immediately enrolled into the Smithers Rehabilitation Clinic in New York City. Dwight missed the first two months of the season, but when he came back he seemed to be like the dominant Gooden of old. Dwight finished the season with a record of 15-7 with a ERA of 3.21, with 148 strike outs. I know his record lookd s mortal but when you take into consideration he missed the first third of the season it is actually a very good record. The Mets didn’t make the post season in part to injuries as well as Dwight’s stay in rehab, finishing second to the St Louis Cardinals.
In 1988, Gooden went 18–9 with a ERA of 3.19 with 175 strikeouts. The Mets went on to make their second post season appearance in three years, and faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. Gooden started Game 1 against Dodger Ace, Orel Hershiser. dwight pitched well, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out 10,. He would leave after seven innings of work. He would next pitch in Game 4. Dwight pitched well, giving up 2 runs over the first 8 innings, but with the Mets winning 4-2, Dwight served up a game tying 2 run homer to Dodgers catcher, Mike Scioscia. The Dodgers ended up winning the game in 12 innings. The Dodgers would win the series in seven games.
In 1989, Dwight injured his shoulder . He was out for a few months recuperating and made only 17 starts that season. He went 9–4 with a 2.89 ERA with just 101 strikeouts that season. The Mets were eliminated from making the post season in the final week of the season.
In 1990, Dwight was back to his old form. He went 19–7 with a ERA of 3.83. His strike outs improved also, fanning 223 batters.It would be the last time he would finish a season with 200 strikeouts.
In 1991,Dwight along with Mets outfielder, Darryl Boston and pitcher, David Cone were accused of rape, but were later cleared of all charges. During that season, Dwight injured his shoulder again. He appeared in 27 games , going 13-7 with a 3.67 ERA, striking out 150.
1992 was perhaps Dwight’s worst season in terms of record. He went 10-13, which marked his first losing season ever. The next season Dwight went an abysmal 12–15. Yes those teams were horrible but there was something different about Gooden, he came off as aloof and it seem liked the intensity level he once had was gone.
1 The bottom dropped out for Dwight during the 1994 season.He had a 3–4 record with a bloated6.31 ERA when it was revealed he had failed a random drug test. He was suspended by the commissioner for 60 days. Mets fans were devastated. We felt like we were punched in the gut when he failed that test. But fans still supported him and waited for his suspension to end. Unfortunately Dwight failed a second drug test during his suspension and was banned from the game for one season. Mets fans were livid at their ace and demanded he be released. The Mets terminated his contract and severed all ties with the one time face of their franchise. I remember feeling betrayed when he failed that second test that season. I was coming home from work in N.J and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Yes I was a small voice in the chorus of Mets fans that called for his termination. In retrospect I wish that I was a little bit more understanding – especially since he was exiled from the team for most of the next two decades.
After sitting out the ’95 season because of his suspension, Doc signed with the New York Yankees as a free agent. Like I said before this was one of the ways Yankee owner, George Steinbrenner would tweak the Mets by giving fallen Mets stars a second chance and help them recapture their early glory. Gooden struggled his first month with the Yanks and was nearly released. But on May 14th he did something that we always thought he would do with the Mets. He threw a no hitter against the Seattle Mariners 2-0 at Yankee Stadium. That was like rubbing kosher salt into a gaping wound for us Mets fans. Deep down I was happy for him but yet I was still seething. He finished that season with a record of 11–7, but was left off the Yankees post season roster. He would pitch in the ’98 ALCS with the Yankees . From 1998 to 2000 he pitched for the He pitched for three teams from 1998 to 2000, the Indians, Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Dwight returned to the Yankees in the middle of the ’00 season and pitched against the Mets. It was a very surreal game to watch, I wanted to root for Doc but just couldn’t. Dwight made just five starts fo the Yanks that season before being relegated to the Yankees bullpen and a long reliever. He appeared in both rounds of the a.l Playoffs that season, but he didn’t see game action against the Mets in the World Series. Dwight would get a his third World Series ring after the ’00 season ended.
Doc retired after being released by the Yankees in ’01. He finished with a career record of 194-112, which in some circles could have been considered Hall of Fame Worthy but his past run in with the law on drug charges along with his numerous drug suspensions have put a halt to any consideration for enshrinement.We just have to sit back and wonder what could have been if he had just stayed clean after his first stint in rehab.
Since his retirement, Gooden took a front office job for the New York Yankees, which in my opinion continued his alienation with the Mets fan base which was his true family. Part of his role with the Yanks was to be a player/front office liaison, especially with free agents. That included the negotiations with his nephew, Gary Sheffield just before the 2004 season. Dwight did not attend the 20 year reunion of the ’86 Mets in ’06 due to animosity on both sides. Thankfully a reconciliation was reached just prior the the closing ceremonies at Shea Stadium in September of ’08, and he got possibly the biggest ovation of all the former Mets. The Mets fans showed their undying love to the prodigal son, the doctor was in and he was wearing the Mets blue and orange for one last time. It was his first time stepping onto the infield grass of Shea Stadium since the 2000 World Series when he wore a Yankee uniform. Dwight along with former teammate, Darryl Strawberry along with former manager Davey Johnson and general manager , Frank Cashen were inducted into the Mets Hall Of fame on August first of last season. Just prior to the game both Dwight and Darryl signed a honorary one day contract with the Mets and promptly retired . The two faces of the franchise from three decades ago finally ended symbolically ended their careers where it all started and one of the ultimate Mets wrongs were finally righted.
In his eleven years with the Mets, Dwight has a record of 157-85 with a ERA of 3.10. He struck out a whopping 1875 while pitching 23 shutouts.
Tomorrow we will reveal the number two player on the list of the top 50 Mets of all time, and all I will say is that he was one of the best hitters the Mets had ever had.
And with that said… HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!
Mets alumni celebrating a birthday today include:
Mets third base coach from ’97-’00, Cookie Rojas is 72 today (1939) .
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed reserve catcher, Rick Wilkins of the New York Mets as a free agent on March 6, 1999.
The New York Mets signed free agent outfielder, Tony Tarasco on March 6, 2001. Tony would be released on September first that year after he was caught smoking marijuana.
The New York Mets signed free agent middle reliever, Orber Moreno on March 6, 2003.
And while you get yourself ready to watch today’s game between the Mets and Red Sox, just remember that there are just 26 Dave Arthur Kingman Days to go until the Mets open the 2011 season against the Florida Marlins in Miami and just 33 more until the Mets 2011 home opener against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field.
Mo Vaughn strives to be just like Charlie Sheen – except with elephants blood !!!
32 comments
stickguy
3/6/2011-11:51am at 11:51 am (UTC -4)
he was pretty good there for a while.
and no way you see a teenager throwing 300 innings like he did in the future.
ajgmets
3/6/2011-5:23pm at 5:23 pm (UTC -4)
First off .HAPPY BIRTHDAY Momma Marcus!!! You, my dear, are quite simply a SAINT to have taken on the monumental task of raising what has become this monster who calls himself Rusty Jr. The mere fact that Ed is not completely deranged is a testament to your loving upbringing….
Dwight Gooden, “Doctor K” will always be remembered as the young hard throwing 20 year old kid with the afro poking out from the sides of his cap. A smiling, almost happy go lucky sort of young man with the talent to display never before seen pitching exploits thereby putting himself into the conversation comparing him to Mets Hall of Famer/Deity, Tom Seaver.. The fifth overall pick in the 1982 draft and the nephew of MLB outfielder Gary Sheffield with the awesome fastball and good bender certainly blazed his way into the hearts of Mets fans as he quickly helped us to recall the identity of the Mets as a power pitching club. Doc rapidly established himself as the future of the franchise by dominating NL hitters for nearly a decade. A five time top 5 CY young Award (winning in 1985) vote getter, Gooden certainly earned the right to be in the top 3 Met Players of All Time.
I’ve recently recited my great experience watching Dwight Gooden pitch in the last meaningful game of the 1987 season and how he was dominant to the end of that particular game.
As surprising as it may seem, I was and subsequently, still am not the biggest Dwight Gooden fan although I certainly appreciate and respect all he did to help my beloved Mets throughout his well documented career in the blue and orange.
The Doc Gooden story I remember most didn’t surround a huge playoff or World Series moment or a dynamic effort turned in by Dwight, but a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in September 1988.
September 13 was really a run of the mill Tuesday night scheduled game against the second place Pirates at Shea. At this point the Mets were 10 games up on the Pirates and on their way to what we assumed would be a deserved return to the fall classic. As we settled into our regular seats in Box 228C, just about even with 3rd base, we watched current Mets payroll member Bobby Bonilla, a skinny Barry Bonds and Mike “Spanky” LaValliere and the Bucs take BP preparing to face our 17 game winning ace Doc Gooden. Darryl wasn’t in the lineup so we got to see Mookie in right and Lenny in center in addition to “Boy Wonder” Gregg Jefferies at third base with Hojo playing short. The game was moving along as Doc didn’t seem overly sharp, yet had allowed only one base runner (a single by Andy VanSlyke in the 1st) through 1 out in the fourth when VanSlyke again singled with 1 out and was chased home by a ringing double to right center by Bonilla to give the Pirates the lead. McReynolds led off the Mets fourth with a shot into the left center gap but was thrown out at second by Bonds on a nice throw to Ken Oberkfell. Of course as is too often the case, the erased base runner cost the Mets the potential tying run as Mookie Wilson rifled his 2nd double of the game into the right field corner but was left stranded there. The Mets would put runners on in the 6th and 7th innings but couldn’t plate the tying run against an effective Bob Walk, to take Doc off the hook. Gooden was replaced by big lefty Randy Myers at the start of the 8th inning. And gave up only a pinch single to Gary Redus over the next 2 innings. It was as the bottom of the ninth started as Mookie reached after being hit on the left forearm by a Jim got pitch with 1 out that I noticed Gooden standing on the top step of the dugout loudly cheering for his teammates to “Let’s Go” , “Let’s Get this damn guy”. As Gary Carter walked moving Mookie to second, Doc was joined by a few other teammates who watched as Hojo struck out for the second out. It was as Lee Mazzilli walked, batting for Dave Magadan that I thought to myself, “Wow, either Gooden doesn’t realize he can’t get the win, which would have kept alive his slim chances of reaching 20 wins or he is really a team guy and a leader on a team with leaders like Hernandez, Carter and Strawberry. The fact that Mackey Sasser flied out to center to end the game was really lost on me as I thought longer about the possibilities for this team going forward with the character I’d seen demonstrated by the new young leaders of my favorite team.
As the Mets ran into what could only be described as a team of destiny in the Orel Hershiser and Kirk Gibson led Dodgers in the NLCS, I and most Mets fans still held firm in the belief that there’d be plenty of other chances for this team to reascend to the heights of 1986 glory. Little did we know it’d be another decade.
Obviously after his 19 win season in 1990, Doc finished his Mets career in 1994 after twice testing positive for cocaine and being suspended as part of losing clubs. His after Mets career turned out to be a blessing and a curse for Dwight as he was able to toss the only no-hitter of his career on the mound in the Bronx as a member of the Yankees World Series winning team (Gooden wasn’t on the post season roster). His career would spiral downward from that point forward as he never regained the form he’d achieved as a young Mets phenom.
As with his friend and teammate Strawberry, Gooden faces the demons of abuse to this day but it’s great that “Dr. K” is still part of the Mets family. I along with legions of Mets fans certainly wish him the best.
Good profile piece on the Mets Pitcher of the 80’s, Ed. And again Happy Birthday Mom!!
metsfan4decades
3/6/2011-12:02pm at 12:02 pm (UTC -4)
After Doc’s ’84 rookie season, I ponied up the money for one season of my cable provider’s paid Sports station so I could get every Met game. I made it a priority never to miss one of Doc’s starts. When they came close to winning the division in ’85 I paid for another season – 86. Money well spent.
What could have been…..indeed. There is no doubt Gooden’s stuff was ready for the big leagues at 19 but it takes more than talent to make a well rounded ball player. And who lets a 19 year old rookie pitch over 200 innings his first season? That coupled with trying to change his style of pitching at 21 years of age showed signs of a franchise abusing that talent. I’m not excusing the decisions Doc made by a long shot but the treatment early in his career probably contributed to early injuries as well as some really poor decisions by Doc himself.
Had his career not been derailed by those poor decisions I believe we would have been looking at the second Met pitcher headed to the HOF. It just wasn’t meant to be. For time there though, he was the most electric pitcher in the game and all Met fans believed the sky was the limit.
Thanks for the memories, Doc.
metsfan4decades
3/6/2011-3:29pm at 3:29 pm (UTC -4)
On another note.
Hey stick….did you see that bomb your man Duda just hit?
Nice.
In other news, I’ve seen enough of Lujan. He won’t be going north.
stickguy
3/6/2011-3:53pm at 3:53 pm (UTC -4)
was just going to post something about that. Man, does he have a nice swing. absolutely crushed that ball.
I really don’t have a problem with the idea of trading bay and letting Duda have a shot at LF.
njstuckintx
3/6/2011-4:46pm at 4:46 pm (UTC -4)
Come up with some hypothetical situations on where Old Bay could go.
stickguy
3/6/2011-5:27pm at 5:27 pm (UTC -4)
the corn field?
other than that, I will have to work on it. I did not say it was a reasonable hope, just a hope!
the damned 3 years left (if not 4) on the deal are the killer to getting rid of him.
What the hell. Flip him even up to SF for Zito. money might be a wash!
njstuckintx
3/6/2011-5:52pm at 5:52 pm (UTC -4)
i dunno, i see a rebound from him.
metsfan4decades
3/6/2011-3:45pm at 3:45 pm (UTC -4)
And the Mets pull it out today.
Nice pitching by Niese. HRs for Ike and Duda.
Beltran with a single and a run scored, sliding into home. He walked away just fine so that’s a plus.
Still haven’t seen a double play opportunity for Murph yet though.
kistics
3/6/2011-3:48pm at 3:48 pm (UTC -4)
KRod looked good too. I thought I saw his FB topping at 95-96. I remember his FB topping at around 92 last season. I wonder if it’s just the radar gun….
metsfan4decades
3/6/2011-4:01pm at 4:01 pm (UTC -4)
Yes, thought KRod looked good too. Had one long bomb hit off him but went just foul. At least he looked a little sharper, not putting runners on base before he goes for his 3 outs.
I read somewhere last week where they were questioning the accuracy of the radar gun. I saw Iggy was pitching up to 95 for his fb though and that’s usually where he’s at.
kingman 26
3/6/2011-3:59pm at 3:59 pm (UTC -4)
I guess Doc and Darryl will always be the jewels of the Met system for the period from about 1980–2000.
Like Straw, I remember following Gooden so very closely when the only place you could get minor league stats was the old newspaper-style Sporting News which would have them every week3.
I remember his first game in the Astrodome, with his parents in attendance, I remember how he took off towards the end of 1984 with back-to-back 16 K games, and I remember the 1985 season, which may have been the best season a pitcher had since Gibson in 1968. Talk about dominance and the best curveball ever.
Thanks again Rusty–for me personally, as a teenager when Doc and Darryl came through the minors and made their debut, and as a diehard when they were key members of our generation’s only title team, being reminded of their careers and prominence is really wonderful.
And I have to say now, after reading this every day and considering it some more, I definitely can see these two–and even Koosman–being just ahead of Keith, due to their coming through the Met system, their time with the team, etc.
Again, great job.
metsfan4decades
3/6/2011-4:09pm at 4:09 pm (UTC -4)
For your reading pleasure:
Opponents have figured out Phillies
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2011/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=6182253
Stark paints a less than ‘shoe in’ picture for the Phillies this year.
kingman 26
3/6/2011-4:13pm at 4:13 pm (UTC -4)
Well, all I can say is good luck with that.
Average seasons from their top four starters, an average bullpen, and another 50-80 less runs scored, and they might win less than 92–95.
With a rotation like that, all you need is average offense…which they surely will have, at least.
Look at the Giants last year. 9th in the league in R; 8th in OPS.
Eventually the Phils will be old and the Mets will be good. But it ain’t going to be in 2011.
metsfan4decades
3/6/2011-5:15pm at 5:15 pm (UTC -4)
Someday? the Phils are going to get old???
Stark is the biggest Philly homer their is. If he’s worried about cracks in that foundation, there might just be something to that analysis.
kingman 26
3/6/2011-5:34pm at 5:34 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah, but my point is that with that rotation, they can easily afford a significant offense drop.
They had Oswalt for 12 starts last year and Lee for 0.
65 starts for those two will make up for lots less offense.
They won 97 last year with 78 starts from Halladay/Oswalt/Lee/Hamels.
If they are all healthy, they will start maybe 132 games.
They don’t need much offense.
stickguy
3/6/2011-5:39pm at 5:39 pm (UTC -4)
well, the point was, that is putting a lot of burden on the SP, only 1 of whom is less tan 30, and a couple have had injury issues recently.
so sure, if they all make 32 starts and finish 1-4 in the cy young race, the phils likely win a lot of games using their starting position players from AAA.
the question as always is, can the SP (lot’s of miles on those guys) all stay healthy for the entire season? And at what point does it become an issue? If Halladay tweaks the groin, Lee hurts the arm again, and Oswalts back goes out, they are back to the 2008 rotation, just without the big offense to carry it!
Why did Wainright have to be the one to go down, instead of a Philly SP?
metsfan4decades
3/6/2011-6:24pm at 6:24 pm (UTC -4)
Time will tell. And I can’t wait for the season to start and the debate become real.
stickguy
3/6/2011-5:35pm at 5:35 pm (UTC -4)
oldest ream in the league already, and it probably isn’t close.
now that Brown is gone, it looks like Ben Francisco is likely to be the starting RF. He is 29 (turns 30 in October, when hopefully the Phils have stopped playing already!)
every other starting position player is over 30 (some well over), 3/4 of the “4 aces”, their #5, the closer, the set up man, and I think all of the bench.
at this point, I think they make the yankees look young!
darknova306
3/6/2011-6:33pm at 6:33 pm (UTC -4)
“The Phillies are old and will fall off” is something we hear every year. Just because a bunch of your players are over 30 doesn’t mean they’re going to decline quickly. Yeah, eventually it’ll happen, but I don’t need to believe it’s going to be this season to justify getting excited for baseball.
The Mets are a 78-82 win team, and this season is all about seeing what they have for the future, trading away some guys to build the farm a bit (Reyes, Beltran, etc, if possible), and seeing where the financial situation winds up going. I’m excited for Mets baseball regardless of what the team will likely do.
kingman 26
3/6/2011-6:51pm at 6:51 pm (UTC -4)
Totally agreed with every word and idea.
metsfan4decades
3/6/2011-8:05pm at 8:05 pm (UTC -4)
I don’t recall hearing that about the Phils in past years. Yankees yes, but Phillies?
They are officially one of the older average teams now.
I don’t see the Mets winning less games than last year.
Trading Reyes to build up the farm? That might be what the FO tries to spin but the majority of the fan base isn’t going to buy that excuse. If they trade Reyes it’ll be about the money – or lack thereof – and no other reason. All you have to do is read across the blog sphere and look at the various polls already done on the Reyes question. Right now, overwhelmingly the fans want Reyes back. And my fear is given the financial questions that will remain for sometime to come, after Reyes goes, so will Wright.
darknova306
3/6/2011-8:45pm at 8:45 pm (UTC -4)
The past few years, especially last year, there were plenty of “the Phillies are old” comments. I’m pretty sure this site had more than a few long discussions about that topic.
What I meant about Reyes was just that I expect him gone after the season, so might as well get some prospects for him. I’d like Reyes to stay, but I also don’t want to give him a 7/140-ish contract, and I don’t think Sandy does, either (assuming there is even that much money available in the offseason)
metsfan4decades
3/6/2011-11:43pm at 11:43 pm (UTC -4)
I don’t know what it might have took to sign Reyes to an extension at seasons end last year but that’s when I would have done it. They missed that opportunity.
As much as it pains me to say it, I think Reyes is as good as gone, with Wright not too far behind:
Posted on MLBTR:
Sherman wonders whether we’ll see a full-fledged fire sale from the Mets, with the Wilpons attempting to keep control of the team. Two rival execs that spoke to Sherman said it would be wise for the organization to cut payroll nearly in half for 2012. If the club were to go in that direction, deciding whether to try to extend or trade David Wright would be the toughest call, says Sherman.
stickguy
3/7/2011-12:12am at 12:12 am (UTC -4)
I have a bad feeling you are right about Reyes leaving. And I agree, spin all you want, it will be because they can’t afford him. So based on that, don’t expect them to sign any other big time FAs. Maybe they spread some money around to slightly better crappy guys (like, a Garland instead of Capuano).
actually, if reyes and beltran go, why bother? Might as well just go cheap all the way!
I actually could support dumping Bay if possible. they have plenty of LH prospects int he pipeline, so no loss. But Wright has to stay, if they don’t want a total mutiny!
kistics
3/7/2011-9:22am at 9:22 am (UTC -4)
Sherman is also out to bash the Mets whenever he gets a chance (or is the Post). But it is alarming to hear what he has to say. I really think that there’s a legit chance that the Phillies/Yanks may sign Reyes. Which would be a PR disaster.
kistics
3/7/2011-9:25am at 9:25 am (UTC -4)
I also feel that similar to Cards & Pujols situation, the Mets will offer something to Reyes where it is Reyes who decided to walk away from the Mets.
Mr North Jersey
3/6/2011-5:08pm at 5:08 pm (UTC -4)
The Dr. is the symbol of brief greatness that never achieved his full potential.
metsfan4decades
3/6/2011-5:18pm at 5:18 pm (UTC -4)
MLB Network’s 40 Biggest Baseball Blunders in the History of MLB.
Coming in at #1? What they called ‘Billy Ball’.
That clip just never gets old.
During the ST game today, they had a headset on Mookie for half an inning for an interview. Showed a few clips from game 6 and the last out from game 7. One of the first questions Kevin B. asked was, ‘if it didn’t go through his legs, do you think you would have beaten him?’. Mookie said it would have been close…..
stickguy
3/6/2011-5:30pm at 5:30 pm (UTC -4)
I saw that. Same answer he always gives. Likely though he does beat it.
if you notice, the pitcher was not even covering. so even if Billy does get the ball, it was going to be a foot race, and I think Mookie might have had a few steps on billy!
anyway, since it was already tied (and mookie getting out of the way of the WP was actually a bigger part of that AB), the odds were heavily in the mets favor anyway, since the Red Sox pen was totally toasted by then.
still, it was nice to not have to worry about more innings!
stickguy
3/6/2011-5:41pm at 5:41 pm (UTC -4)
speaking of Doc, one of the “highlights” of my (admittedly) mediocre memorabilia collection is an official K from the K corner (remember that?) we were up in that area one game, and snagged a K from the days total. I hope to retire on what I get for it on Ebay someday.
metsfan4decades
3/6/2011-6:30pm at 6:30 pm (UTC -4)
way cool, stick.